Prophet's miraculous journey to Madinah

There were two miracles that happened when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was emigrating along with his companion Abu Bakr (r.a) from Makkah to Madinah. Both of these carry great significance as they show how divine protection assisted the Prophet ﷺ  against his enemies on a very crucial point of his prophetic mission. Muslim community was now going to live in a town where they would be able to freely practice their faith. Had the Prophet failed in this travel, and killed on his way, it could have been a whole different story for Islam. Another important thing to note is that this moment was associated with the first year of the Islamic calendar called Hijri Calendar (also lunar calendar). The emigration to Madinah is known as hijrah (emigration) from where the term hijri for Islamic calendar comes.

First miracle

When Allah's Messenger ﷺ, together with Abu Bakr (r.a), took shelter in the cave of Saur in order to be safe from the unbelievers who were in pursuit of them, two pigeons build a nest and lay eggs in it at the entrance, and a spider covered the entrance of the cave with a thick web. As Ubayy bin Khalaf, one of the heads of the Quraish who was later killed by the Prophet ﷺ in the battle of Badar, was examining the cave, his friends suggested that they should enter, but he replied: “This web seems to have been spun before Muhammad was born, and the is pigeon with a nest and eggs. Would they still be there if someone were in the cave?”[1] Thus Allah ﷻ confused their plot and they left. Allah ﷻ reminds us in the Quran of His protection for the Prophet ﷺ  when He says: “God helped him at the time when those who were bent on denying the truth drove him away, [and he was but] one of two: when these two were [hiding] in the cave, [and] the Messenger said to his companion, ‘Grieve not: verily, God is with us.’”[2] Abu Bakr (r.a) said “I said to the Prophet while I was in the Cave. ‘If any of them should look under his feet, he would see us.’ He said, ‘O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two (persons) the third of whom is Allah?’”[3] This worry of Abu Bakr (r.a) that Quran and hadith mentions was not for himself but for the danger that the Prophet ﷺ might be exposed to.

Second Miracle

The dangers they were exposed to do not end here. As they left the cave and headed to Madinah, the heads of Quraish sent a man named Suraqa to assassinate them, paying him a considerable amount of money. When Suraqa was finally able to catch them, the Prophet ﷺ cast a glance at Suraqa, and his horse sunk in the sand up to his belly. Seeing that he realized that he could not harm the Prophet ﷺ due to Allah’s protection, he then asked for the Prophet ﷺ for forgiveness and blessings. The Prophet ﷺ freed him on the condition that when he returns to Makkah he will not tell anyone of their whereabouts, to which he agreed.[4] Another certain event during this journey is when a shepherd saw the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr (r.a), he immediately went to Makkah in order to inform the Quraish, but when he arrived there he forgot what he had come for. He tried hard to think what he was intending to but could not remember his intention, so he had to turn back. He later realized that he had been made to forget.[5]

References:
[1] Nursi 2010
[2] Al Quran 9:40
[3] Sahih al-Bukhari 3653 – Sunnah.com
[4] Sahih al-Bukhari 3615
[5] Nursi 2010
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Importance of food and drink miracles

This post includes miracles related to food and drink. Such miracles performed by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are many, recorded in authentic hadith literature and scholars have written books describing and commenting on them. I have mentioned only three to help understand their importance. It is logical that many miracles of the Prophet ﷺ are found related to food and drink because the society in which he was raised and chosen by Allah ﷻ to deliver the message was a desert environment and food and water scarcity was common suffering of the society. Hence when the Prophet ﷺ was performing such miracles it would not only satisfy the hunger and thirst but as a result make their faith stronger in the message of Allah ﷻ: 

Miracle of dates multiplying

Al Suyuti in his Khasais ul Kubra mentions a miracle narrated from Abu Huraira (r.a): “During a battle, the Muslim army had nothing to eat. The Prophet ﷺ asked me, ‘Do you have anything?’ I said that I had some dates in my bag. He asked me to bring the bag. I brought it. There were 21 dates in the bag. The Prophet ﷺ then said, ‘Call ten people.’ I called ten people, they came and ate till they were satisfied and left. Again, I was ordered to call ten people, they also ate and left. In groups of ten, people continued to come and eat to their satisfaction and then leave until the whole army ate. Thereafter, pointing towards the remaining dates he said, ‘O Abu Hurayrah put them in your bag and eat from it whenever you like, but do not empty out the bag.’ Abu Hurayrah (r.a) goes onto say, ‘I ate dates from that bag not only in the time of the Prophet ﷺ but also in the reign of all three successors of the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr (r.a), Umar (r.a) & Uthman (r.a). In addition to distributing dates among people, I also gave about fifty Wasq of dates in the path of Allah and ate more than two hundred Wasq of dates myself. When Uthman (r.a) was martyred that bag was stolen from my home.’[1]

(A wasq is equivalent to sixty sa’a and one sa’a is equal to 270 Tola. Tola is a weighing unit used in the sub-continent. It is approximately 12 grams. In other words, from those twenty one dates, nearly 40,000 kilograms of dates were eaten.)

Miracles of Bowl of Milk and 70 Companions

Abu Huraira (r.a) stated “By Allah except Whom none has the right to- be worshipped, (sometimes) I used to lay (sleep) on the ground on my liver (abdomen) because of hunger, and (sometimes) I used to bind a stone over my belly because of hunger. One day I sat by the way from where they (the Prophet (ﷺ) and his companions) used to come out. Finally the Prophet (ﷺ) passed by me and he smiled when he saw me, for he knew what was in my heart and on my face. He said, "O Aba Hirr (Abu Huraira)!" I replied, "Labbaik, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said to me, "Follow me." He left and I followed him. Then he entered the house and I asked permission to enter and was admitted. He found milk in a bowl and said, "From where is this milk?" They said, "It has been presented to you by such-and-such man (or by such and such woman)." He said, "O Aba Hirr!" I said, "Labbaik, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "Go and call the people of Suffa to me." These people of Suffa were the guests of Islam who had no families, nor money, nor anybody to depend upon, and whenever an object of charity was brought to the Prophet ﷺ, he would send it to them and would not take anything from it, and whenever any present was given to him, he used to send some for them and take some of it for himself. The order of the Prophet upset me, and I said to myself, "How will this little milk be enough for the people of As- Suffa? though I was more entitled to drink from that milk in order to strengthen myself" So I took the bowl (of milk) and started giving it to one man who would drink his fill and return it to me, whereupon I would give it to another man who, in his turn, would drink his fill and return it to me, and I would then offer it to another man who would drink his fill and return it to me. Finally, after the whole group had drunk their fill, I reached the Prophet (ﷺ) who took the bowl and put it on his hand, looked at me and smiled and said. "O Aba Hirr!" I replied, "Labbaik, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "There remain you and I." I said, "You have said the truth, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)!" He said, "Sit down and drink." I sat down and drank. He said, "Drink," and I drank. He kept on telling me repeatedly to drink, till I said, "No. by Allah Who sent you with the Truth, I have no space for it (in my stomach)." He said, "Hand it over to me." When I gave him the bowl, he praised Allah and pronounced Allah's Name on it and drank the remaining milk.”[2]

Feast at home of Jabir bin Abdullah (r.a)

We were digging (the trench) on the day of Al-Khandaq (i.e. battle of trench)) and we came across a big solid rock. We went to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: "Here is a rock appearing across the trench." He said, "I am coming down." Then he got up, and a stone was tied to his belly for we had not eaten anything for three days. So the Prophet (ﷺ) took the spade and struck the big solid rock and it became like sand. I said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Allow me to go home." (When the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed me) I said to my wife, "I saw the Prophet (ﷺ) in a state that I cannot treat lightly. Have you got something (for him to eat?" She replied, "I have barley and a she goat." So I slaughtered the she-kid and she ground the barley; then we put the meat in the earthenware cooking pot. Then I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when the dough had become soft and fermented and (the meat in) the pot over the stone trivet had nearly been well-cooked, and said, "I have got a little food prepared, so get up O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ), you and one or two men along with you (for the food)." The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, "How much is that food?" I told him about it. He said, "It is abundant and good. Tell your wife not to remove the earthenware pot from the fire and not to take out any bread from the oven till I reach there." Then he said (to all his companions), "Get up." So the Muhajireen (i.e. Emigrants) and the Ansar (Helpers) got up. When I came to my wife, I said, "Allah's Mercy be upon you! The Prophet came along with the Muhajirin and the Ansar and those who were present with them." She said, "Did the Prophet (ﷺ) ask you (how much food you had)?" I replied, "Yes." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Enter and do not throng." The Prophet (ﷺ) started cutting the bread (into pieces) and put the cooked meat over it. He covered the earthenware pot and the oven whenever he took something out of them. He would give the food to his companions and take the meat out of the pot. He went on cutting the bread and scooping the meat (for his companions) till they all ate their fill, and even then, some food remained. Then the Prophet (ﷺ) said (to my wife), "Eat and present to others as the people are struck with hunger."[3]

References:
[1] Razavi, Muhammad Ilyas Qadiri. 2013. Faizan e Sunnat (Blessings of Sunnah). Karachi: Maktaba-tul-Madinah. 
[2] Sahih al-Bukhari 6452 – Sunnah.com
[3] Sahih al-Bukhari 4101 – Sunnah.com 

Events that took place after his death as prophesied.

Part of a Prophet of God's mission is to inform the people about what is going to take place in future and this pertains not only to Day of Judgment but also about what will happen in the near and distant future. These prophecies act as a confirmation of their prophethood even after their deaths and are part of their miracles. Since Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was God's final messenger for entire humankind, he made prophecies pertaining to what was going to happen after his death till the end of the world. In this post I quoted a few, but historically significant, among the hundreds of predictions that happened in the near future after his death, exactly as he had predicted. These are found transmitted and recorded in authenticated hadith resources. 





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​1. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ declared from the pulpit in the presence of his companions: “This grandson of mine, Hasan, is a master (syed) of men by means of whom Allah will reconcile two great groups.”[1] Forty years later, when the two large Muslim armies of Iraq and Syria confronted each other, Imam Hasan (r.a) made peace with Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan (r.a), and thus proved the prophecy of his noble grandfather, upon whom be peace and blessings. 
 
2. According to another authentic narration, the Prophet ﷺ said to Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s): "You will fight the just, the perfidious and the deviator," thus predicting the Battles of Jamal (Camel), Siffin and that fought against the Khawarij at Nahrawan. All these happened during the rulership of Ali (a.s) as a result of the first Muslim civil war (also called Fitnah), which started with the murder of Uthman (r.a), predecessor of Ali (a.s).[2]
 
3. Once the Prophet ﷺ ascended mount Uhud with Abu Bakr (r.a), Umar (r.a) and Uthman (r.a) and it began to shake. The Prophet ﷺ  struck it with his foot and said: “Be still, for only a Prophet, an ever truthful and two martyrs are on you.”[3] Thus predicting the martyrdoms of his closest companions Umar ibn Al Khattab (r.a) and Uthman ibn Affan (r.a). Umar (r.a) was martyred by a non-Muslim Persian slave during his rule and Uthman (r.a) was martyred by the Muslim rebels during his rulership.
 
4. He had informed Ali (r.a) and Zubayr (r.a) that they will one day face each other while predicting Zubayr’s martyrdom. This is exactly how it took place in the Battle of Jamal (Camel) when Ali (r.a) reminded Zubayr (r.a) of the Prophet's prediction due he went away. Zubayr (r.a) was later martyred by one of the soldiers from the opposition camp.[4]
 
5. The Prophet ﷺ said to his wives: “One among you will take charge of a mischief; many around her will be killed; and the dogs will bark all around her.”[5] He predicted this about the mother of all believers, Lady Ayesha (r.a). This happened exactly at the point when her army reached the watering place of Hauab, the dogs of the village came out, and barked at Ayesha (r.a). She inquired about the name of the place, and when she was told that it was Hauab, a shudder ran through her. The "mischief" was the unfortunate Battle of Jamal (Camel), as a result of first Muslim civil war. The battle was between the army of Ali ibn Abi Talib (r.a) and Ayesha (r.a), which resulted in the defeat of Ayesha's army and her being respectfully escorted by Ali (r.a) to Makkah, where she lived most part of her remaining life. 
 
6. Allah's Messenger ﷺ also predicted that Imam Hussain (a.s) would be killed at Taff (Kerbala). Fifty years later the painful event took place as predicted. The entire world bears witness to the event of Karbala. Abdullaah (r.a) said, "Whilst we were with the Prophet ﷺ, some young men from Banu Hashim approached us. When the Prophet ﷺ saw them, his eyes filled with tears and the colour of his face changed. I said, 'We can see something has changed in your face, and it upsets us.' The Prophet ﷺ  said, 'We are the people of a Household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter rather than this world. The people of my Household (Ahl al-Bayt) will suffer a great deal after my death."[6] The persecution  prophesied came true in the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s) and his family members 50 years after, who were part of Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt (household/family).
 
7. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ predicted that Abu Bakr (r.a) will succeed him for a short period and then Umar (r.a) will succeed him for a longer period and it happened exactly as he had said: “(I saw in a dream that) while I was standing at a well and drawing water therefrom, suddenly Abu Bakr and ‘Umar came to me. Abu Bakr took the bucket and drew one or two buckets (full of water), but there was weakness in his pulling, but Allah forgave him. Then Umar (r.a) took the bucket from Abu Bakr's hand and the bucket turned into a very large one in his hand. I have never seen any strong man among the people doing such a hard job as Umar did, till (the people drank to their satisfaction) and water their camels to their fill and they sat near the water.”[7]
 
8. According to an authentic narrations, Allah's Messenger ﷺ said to his companions: “You will be victorious over all your enemies, will succeed in the conquest of Makkah, Khaybar, Damascus, Iraq, Persia and Jerusalem, and will share among yourselves the treasures of the rulers of the greatest empires, the Byzantine and the Persians.”[8] It is a known fact that when he was saying this he wasn’t just expressing an opinion, he was saying as if he was seeing it. It is also a fact that these places were all conquered by his own companions not too long after his death.

9. The Prophet ﷺ predicted the rightly guided era of the first four (or five) successors who would rule after his death and the type of rulerships that would replace them. The prediction is found as recorded in one hadith: “Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Then it will be (followed by) a rightly guided caliphate (khilafat e rashida) on the pattern of the Prophethood. It will remain for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Afterwards there will be a hereditary leadership which will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if He wishes. Afterwards, there will be biting oppression, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it if He wishes. Then there will be a rightly guided caliphate (khilafahe rashida) according to the ways of the Prophethood.’ Then he kept silent.”[9] Prophethood lasted till the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the final Messenger for humankind, followed by the rule of his pious successors namely Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali (May Allah be pleased with them), and Hassan ibn Ali (son of Ali) (r.a). These caliphs ruled according to the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ and lived exemplary lives. Then Hassan (r.a) was forced to hand over the rulership in favor of Muawiya ibn Abu Sufyan (r.a) (also a Prophets companion), for the sake of ending ongoing Muslim civil war. He was more of a caliph that came in to power through power politics unlike selection of his predecessors. 
 
9. The Prophet ﷺ predicted the conquest of Constantinople which also took place a few centuries after his death. Knowing how many Muslim armies have fought Byzantines and attacked this center of their power, the Ottoman Turks were able to finally conquer it in 1453 CE. Abdullah (r.a) said, “While we were (gathered) around the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and we were writing, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked: ‘Which city will be conquered first - Constantinople or Rome?’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The city of Hiraql (Heraclius) will be conquered first’ - i.e. Constantinople."'[10] The prediction of this conquest  was given by Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in several traditions, long before him and the earlier Muslims hardly exercised any control in the Arabian Peninsula. In fact, their influence was only limited to a small town called Yathrib (later became Madinah).
 
10. The Prophet ﷺ predicted the rule of third Caliph and Successor Uthman ibn Affan (r.a) and his innocent murder and he even said that he would get killed while reciting the Quran. It absolutely happened as our Prophet ﷺ predicted.[11] 
 
11. The Prophet ﷺ  said: “O Abu Dharr, You will be expelled from here [Madinah], will live alone, and will die alone.” All this came true twenty years later when Abu Dharr (r.a) began to live outside of Madinah during the rule of Uthman (r.a). He died alone with only his wife and one daughter.[13]
 
12. The Prophet ﷺ predicted the first Muslim naval expedition which took place during Uthman's rulership, the 3rd successor. At the time of this prediction the Arabs were people of the desert, they had no maritime knowledge or expertise, they only knew the desert. Additionally he also predicted that the force will reach Cyprus and one of the companions named Umm Haram (r.a) will be martyred on that Island.[14] The truth of this Prophetic prediction can be viewed in shrine of Umm Haram still stands on that Island near Larnaca, Cyprus. The shrine is called Hala Sultan Tekke. 
 
13. The Prophet ﷺ said: “From the tribe of Thaqif[15], a liar will claim prophethood, and a bloodthirsty tyrant/destroyer will appear.”[16] The "Liar", as claimed by many scholars was Mukhtaar ibn Abee Ubaid[17], who appeared in Kufah (modern Iraq) during the days of Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair (r.a). And the "Destroyer" was Al-Hajjaaj ibn Yousuf Ath-Thaqafee[18], the one who killed Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair (r.a) and also committed much oppression during his governorship.[19]
 
14. He predicted that the Abbasid dynasty would emerge after the Umayyads to remain in power for a long time, and said, “The people will come forth with black banners from Khurasaan and rule for many times more than they [the Umayyads] rule.” The Prophet prophesied the black flags, which Banu Al-'Abbaas[20] came with under Abu Muslim Khurasani when they wrenched control of the Muslim nation from the hands of Banu Umayyah.[21]
 

References:
[1] Sahih al-Bukhari 3629 – Sunnah.com
[2] Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2010. Miracles of Prophet Muhammad. Feedbooks. - Risala i Nur Collection.
[3] Sunan Abi Dawud 4651 – Sunnah.com
[4] Nursi 2010
[5] Nursi 2010
[6] Nursi 2010 -  Dimashqi, Al-Hafiz ibn Katheer. 2006. Al Nihaya Fi al Fitan Wa al Malahim (Book of the End: Great Trials and Tribulations). Riyadh: Maktaba Darussalam. 
[7] Sahih al-Bukhari 7019 – Sunnah.com
[8] Sahih Muslim 2900 – Sunnah.com
[9] Hassan, Professor Masudul. 1988. Khalifa Abu Bakr - Successor to the Holy Prophet - History of Islam volumes 1 & 2 . Lahore: Islamic Publications
[10] Dimashqi 2006. Also narrated in major authentic works of Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud, Jami Tirmidhi.
[11] Nursi 2010 - Also recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 7262, Sunnah.com 
[12] Sunan an-Nasai 1975 – Sunnah.com
[13] Nursi 2010
[14] Sahih al-Bukhari 2788 – Sunnah.com
[15] Tribe in Arabia called Banu Thaqif.
[16] Jami Tirmidhi Vol. 1, Book 46, Hadith 3944 – Sunnah.com
[17] Also known as Mukhtar Thaqafi (member of Banu Taqif). Many also see him as a hero who took revenge from the killers of Imam Hussain (alaihi salaam), the dearest grandson of the Prophet martyred in Karbala. Allah (swt) knows best.
[18] As for the destroyer was indeed Hajjaj bin Yousaf, there is unanimous agreement on this man’s appearance and character.
[19] Dimashqi 2006.
[20] Also called Family of Abbas i.e. the descendants of Abbas (r.a), paternal uncle of the Prophet (sallAllahu alaihi wassallam), ruled the Muslim world under Bannu Abbas Caliphate.
[21]Nursi 2010

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Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ​predicted Persians will not only accept Islam but will become great scholars of Islam and worldly sciences.

The Prophet ﷺ sent letter of invitation to Islam for all regional rulers, in particular the Kings of Byzantine and Persian empires, the 2 greatest empires of the time. He invited Khosrow II Pervez [1] [2], King of Persia by dispatching a letter. The following are the contents of the letter mentioned in one of his biography called Al Raheeq Al Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar):
 
“In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
 
From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah to Chosroes[3], king of Persia. Peace be upon him who follows true guidance, believes in Allah and His Messenger and testifies that there is no god but Allah Alone with no associate, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. I invite you to accept the religion of Allah. I am the Messenger of Allah sent to all people in order that I may infuse fear of Allah in every living person, and that the charge may be proved against those who reject the Truth. Accept Islam as your religion so that you may live in security, otherwise, you will be responsible for all the sins of the Magians.”[4]
 
The biography further states that “The proud monarch was enraged by the style of the letter as the name of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had been put above his own name. He tore the letter into shreds and forthwith dictated a command to his viceroy in Yemen to send a couple of troopers to arrest the Prophet and bring him to his presence. The governor, Bazan by name, immediately sent two men to Madinah for the purpose. As soon as the men reached Madinah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was informed by a divine revelation that Pervez, the emperor of Persia, had been murdered by his son. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) disclosed to them the news and they were stunned. He added asking them to tell their new monarch that Islam would prevail everywhere and outstrip the sovereignty of Chosroes himself. They hurried back to Bazan and communicated to him what they heard. Meanwhile, Sherweh, the new monarch sent a letter to Bazan confirming the news and bidding him to stop any procedures as regards the Prophet till further notice. Bazan, together with the Persians in Yemen, went into the folds of Islam, and gladly signified his adhesion to the Prophet.”[5] This event of Khosrow Pervez being murdered by his son and overthrowing his father’s rule is also recorded in non-Islamic historical sources. At the time when Prophet ﷺ made this prediction of Islam spreading in the lands of Al Faris (Persia), the Muslims had not even taken control of Arabian Peninsula, their rule was only limited to two cities, Makkah and Madinah. Within the twelve years after Prophet's passing away Persia was conquered by his companions under the rule of his second successor and Caliph Umar ibn Al Khattab (r.a). Hence came true the Prophet's prediction of Muslim conquest of Persia.
 
Additionally the Prophet ﷺ also foretold an extraordinary prediction about the knowledge of Persians. One of the foremost companions of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ named Salman Al-Farsi (r.a) was a Persian. In the early years of Islam, the Prophet ﷺ had predicted something very amazing looking at Salman and through him about the Persian nation when the following Quranic verse was revealed: “He it is Who sent among the unlettered ones (i.e. Arabs) a Messenger from among themselves, reciting to them His Ayat (Verses), purifying them, and teaching them the Book and the Hikmah (Wisdom). And verily, they had been before in manifest error. And (he is also sent to) others (i.e. non-Arabs) who have not yet joined them. And He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.”[6] Referring to "others who have not yet joined" the companions inquired: “Who are they, O Allah's Messenger?” At that time, the Prophet ﷺ  put his hand on Salman Al Farsi, saying, “If Faith were at (the place of) Ath-Thuraiya (pleiades, the highest star), even then (some men or man from these people (i.e. Salman's folk) would attain it.”[7] It is a historical fact that great scientists, Islamic scholars, poets, geographers, mathematicians and saints in the medieval period, majority of them, who made contributions in various fields of science and religion were Persian Muslims. One can just appreciate this fact by clicking here and viewing list of Persian scientists and scholars throughout the medieval times. Islamic philosophers like Al Kindi, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), Al Razi (Rhazes), saints like Bayazid Bistami, Abdul Qadir Gilani, scientist & mathematicians like Al Khwarizmi (Al Gorithm), Al Tusi, Islamic scholars like Al Ghazali, Ibn Taymiyyah, were all Persians who revolutionized various fields of science and religion. It is the impact of their efforts and discoveries in the medieval age that gave birth to the modern scientific and technological era. This amazing prediction of the Prophet ﷺ came true after Persians abandoned Zoroastrianism and accepted Islam. 
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References:

[1] Chosroes or Khusrow (also Kisra) was a title for Kings of Persia during Sassanian era.
[2] Last great king of the Sasanian Empire who ruled from 590 to 628 CE before Muslim conquest of Persia.
[4] al-Mubarakpuri, Safi-ur-Rahman. 1996. Al-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar). Dar-us-Salam Publications - al-Mubarakpuri 1996
[5] al-Mubarakpuri 1996
[6] Al Quran 62:2–3
[7] Sahih Al Bukhari  Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 420 – Sunnah.com 

Minor signs of the end times
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​There are hundreds of end time prophecies that Prophet Muhammad  ﷺ made which have come true in our times. The Islamic scholars have divided them in to two types: major and minor. The minor are in the hundreds while major are less, in some cases only ten but highly significant. Some of these ten are also mentioned in the Quran. For this answer I would like to mention a few minor but definitely very important ones.








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1. Time will pass by quickly
 
Prophet said: “The Hour will not come until time passes so quickly that a year will be like a month, a month like a week, a week like a day, a day like an hour, and an hour like the time it takes for a palm-leaf to burn.”[1] We sometimes remark that we reached 2018 or 2019 but where did the previous year go? It went by so fast that we couldn’t even tell. Now we’re almost half way passed 2019. The above tradition is very clear for us as we experience this in our daily routine and ask ourselves at the end of each day, each week, each month and each year that how fast did they go by!

2.  Slave mother giving birth to her mistress and skyscrapers

A man asked the Prophet: "Tell me about the Hour." He said: "The one who is asked about it does not know more about it than the one who is asking." He said: "Then tell me about its signs." He said: "When a slave woman gives birth to her mistress, when you see the barefoot, naked, destitute shepherds competing in making tall buildings.'"[2]

Explanation of this hadith:

These words are taken from the famous hadith-e-Jibreel and this man who was inquiring from the Prophet was Jibreel (alaihi salaam). His inquiries and the answers given by the Prophet was to teach those around him some important lessons about their faith. One of the major lessons that we learn is 2 signs of the approach of the last hour. The Prophet ﷺ  informed us about 2 signs in the above hadith. The first one is related to surrogacy: ‘When a slave woman gives birth to her mistress’. Before we can understand how this prediction relates to the surrogacy we need to first realize that surrogacy is usually accepted as a practice in those nations or such people within a nation that are living under much financial duress. Due to their financial situation they are forced to adopt a life that make them vulnerable for exploitation. Such as the poor women of many parts of India, Philippines, some countries in Africa such as Nigeria, are willing to rent their wombs for couples mainly from Western Europe or rich nations who wish to have a child but for various reasons are unable to have themselves or their wives do not wish to bear. These people are then looking for poor mothers from other developing countries who may wish to carry an embryo for a large sum of money. Please note that there are several middle men involved in this process who take major portion of this amount and only give meager share to the poor lady whose womb is used in this process. Therefore at the end of this process the poor lady still remains poor and everyone else benefits heavily from her!
As per some scholars of Islam, and not all, the interpretation of this sign is a poor mother living in slavery conditions whom we can refer to as a ‘slave mother’ gives birth to a child who is actually considered a master or mistress as the child will now belong to the upper class of the society i.e. taken back to the rich nations with the couple. Thus this prediction is happening right before our eyes. One can find many good documentaries on YouTube. Wombs for rent: Indian surrogacy clinic confines women in 'terrible...
However at this point it’s also important to mention that before the financial situation of the modern world, majority of Islamic scholars throughout the history have interpreted this hadith of the Prophet ﷺ to mean that ‘The children will become master and mistress of their mothers and parents and would treat them like slaves are treated’ which is also very evident as the respect of parents has been lost in our age with the new generation being more greedy. This can also be confirmed due to the fact that the Prophet ﷺ prophesied: “….a man obeys his wife and disobeys his mother, he is kind to his friend and abandons his father...” a sign that rather than children taking care and being respectful to their parents they will be abandoned in old homes, which is a common trend especially in the modern Western societies, and unfortunately this has also started taking place in the East albeit not as great as in the former. 

3. Modern Technology and its communication system

Prophet Muhammad said: “By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! The Hour will not be established until predators speak to people and until the tip of a man's whip and the straps on his sandal (shoes) speak to him, and his thigh informs him of what occurred with his family after him.”[3] This prediction is as bright as a daylight for our generation as we notice voice assistant systems such as Siri and GPS, softwares that speak through our mobile phones and devices, help navigate when driving and provide us online info without even having to type. The shoes speaking has also become a reality after google has come out with its smart shoes called google talking shoes. Amazingly the Prophet did not just mention shoes speaking, he specifically mentioned the ‘shoe laces’ and the chip that communicates is connected to the shoe laces. As for part of the hadith that mentions “man’s thigh informing him of what is happening to his family after him” meaning that when man leaves his home he now has access to know what is going on behind him. That ‘thigh’ is obviously what we call a cellular phone device that keeps you informed and with new advancements such as Watsapp and Skype, you may even see your family while talking when you are away from home. Not to forget that we usually carry the mobile in our front pockets next to thigh and that is what most likely means ‘thigh informing’.

4. Skyscrapers in Middle East

The Prophet ﷺ said: “the naked, poor, and bare-footed shepherds rival each other in the height of the buildings.”[4] The sky scrapers in the GCC states is a fulfillment of this prophecy, for instance the world’s tallest building called Burj Khalifa in UAE. Till a few decades ago the lands of the GCC countries was barren till the discovery of oil which resulted in their gaining wealth to such an extent that instead of utilizing for humanitarian purposes they have become extravagant in their spending. They have utilized their wealth mainly towards expensive construction projects including skyscrapers in competition with each other and other countries across the globe. It is also a fact that the royal families of these rulers are actually Bedouins from the time of the Prophet whose main profession was herding camels. It is quite evident if one travels to modern capitals of Riyadh, Qatar and Dubai, that even their apartment buildings have at least 30 floors and higher!

6. Legalization of Gay Marriages

The Prophet said: “when men lie with men and women with women, when men will become like women and women will become like men.” (Al Bidayah Wa Al Nihaya) As per leading scholars of Islam this pertains to the arrival of legalized marriages of gay couples around the world and its acceptance on a global scale which is taking place only in the 21st century. The number of countries accepting this practice can be noticed by viewing a Pew Research Center report called ‘Gay Marriage Around the World’. This report clearly shows an increased in the number of countries worldwide that have begun to legalize same-sex marriages.[5] As for women will become like men is a sign taking place in our times while it was absent in the history of humankind due to the fact that natural role of man and a woman is to act and live according to their God given nature. But the feminist revolution claims women can do everything that man does and therefore there is no reason for them to act like women any more, they believe and teach that they are just like men. This has caused much confusion in the Godly inspired role of men and women as taught by all Prophets of God which maintains the family structure and keeps it intact. This sign has resulted in the collapse of the family structure. 

7. Capitalist Economic System

Prophet ﷺ predicted: “There will come a time when you will not be able to find a single person in all of humankind who will not be consuming riba (usury or interest). And if anyone claims that he is not consuming riba (usury) then surely the vapor of riba will reach him.”[6] One has to be blind not to be able to notice this prediction. That time has come. The global economic system is based on a banking system which deals in money lending, this originated from Europe and today has engulfed the entire humankind. This system has resulted in a great economic disparity around the globe. Even the people who do not directly deal in any sort of interest based transactions, such as purchasing house and cars on loans, are not immune. Such people are also indirectly impacted because they keep their money within the banking system, in bank accounts, which means their cash is also part of the capitalist economy.

8. Women will work like men

The Prophet ﷺ said: “ahead of the hour trade will become so widespread that a woman will help her husband in trade and ties of kinship will be severed.”[7] This is very true in our times. Traditionally it has always been a man’s role to be the breadwinner of the house but due to financial strains of the capitalist economy around the globe the women have entered the workforce in large numbers and work outside the house like men have always done. This is especially the case in countries like Bangladesh, India, Vietnam, Philippines and Cambodia similar countries where females constitute majority of workforce in garment manufacturing plants of H&M, Nike, Gap, Puma etc. In Cambodia, Women make up 90 percent of the country’s more than 700,000 garment workers in 1,200 garment businesses, according to the Ministry of Industry and Handicraft.[8] They work on extremely low wages like $1 a day or even less and this causes them to work overtime due to being underpaid. This has also impacted family structure unlike in the past where mother's major focus was her home and she was always there for the children. It is such societies where lower status women have resorted to become surrogate mothers for wealthy couples as discussed in the hadith of "slave mother will give birth to her mistress."

9. Voices will be raised in mosques

The Prophet ﷺ said: “voices are raised in the Masajids (mosques).”[9] With modern technology and the introduction of loud speakers have caused this prediction to come true in the 20th century. But some scholars say this refers to the disputes and arguments in mosques that will happen due to divisions among Muslims which is quite prevalent and also seems to be correct.

10. Markets will become closer

Abu Huraira (r.a) narrated that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “The hour will not begin until trials and tribulations appear, there is a great deal of lying and the markets will become closer.”[10] A leading Saudi scholars named Dr Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahmaan al-Areefi comments on this hadith: “The markets have come close in the following ways: The ability to quickly get info on the markets through online access which has cut our efforts to physically travel and reach there. The ability to travel from market to market for trade and business through medium of modern transportation such as airplanes, cars, trains etc. which has made cut the distance short. Thirdly there is no doubt that with internet access and television channels one can access all information on whatever markets one wants to know. Nevertheless the words also imply that there will be much lying and manipulation of the forces who control the markets which is also very clear to see. The corporate elite controls our access to things in the market and even influence us by deceiving through marketing tactics.” (al-Areefi 2010)

11. Obesity will become widespread

The Prophet ﷺ said: “….obesity will become widespread…”[11]This is true as the world statistics say that one-sixth of the world population is now obese and this is mainly due to the lack of physical exercise that was part of people’s lives in the past unlike in our times there is big lack of physical activities due to sitting jobs and movement in transportation like cars. In our times people lose weight by going to gym and this gym phenomena never existed before our times. Go to any pharmacy section anywhere in the world and one will see all types of medicines available to lose weight.

12. The coming of a time when a man will be given choice of being labelled incompetent or committing immorality.

Abu Huraira (r.a) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “There will come a time when a man will be given choice between being labelled incompetent and committing immorality. Whoever lives until that time should choose incompetence over immorality.” This is a very clear sign that is observed specially in schools, universities and modern educational institutions and whoever has experienced this would agree. If a student keeps to himself or herself they are considered weak and peer pressured to commit some immoral or vulgar acts so that they are more accepted in the mainstream. This sort of drama happens a lot in the dorm lifestyles of the Western universities.

13. Tabook will be filled with gardens and greenery

Tabook is a city in Northern part of present day Saudi Arabia which was always a dry land and it has never had agriculture activity till modern times. Muadh bin Jabal (r.a) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “….If you live long enough, Muadh, you will soon see this place filled with gardens.”[12] In our times there are big agricultural projects at work in that land which has caused the entire area to become green and lush with crops and farm lands. The Tabuk Development Agriculture Company is specifically working on agriculture projects and is primarily responsible for all agribusiness development in this area. An article published in an Egyptian Journal shares data collected using the satellite imagery which assesses the potential of the surrounding barren land to see how agriculture development can be expanded further.[13]

References:
[1] Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2332 – Sunnah.com
[2] Sunan an-Nasa'i 4990 – Sunnah.com
[3] Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2181 – Sunnah.com
[4] Jami at-Tirmidhi 2610 – Sunnah.com
[5] David Masci 2017
[6] Sunan Abi Dawud 3331 – Sunnah.com
[7] Musnad Ahmad
[8] Watch 2015
[9] Jami at-Tirmidhi 2210 – Sunnah.com
[10] al-Areefi, Dr. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahmaan. 2010. The End of the world - The Major and Minor Signs of the Hour. Riyadh: Darussalaam.
[11] Al Bukhari & Muslim.
[12] Book 9, Hadith 2 – Muwatta Malik
[13] Al-Harbi 2010