The Lifting of the Qur'an from the Mushafs and Hearts in One Night
In brief
Near the very end of time, after true practice of Islam has faded, Allah will take up the Qur'an in a single night so that not a single verse remains in the written pages (masahif) or in people's hearts.
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Islam will wear out just as embroidery on a garment wears out, until no one will know what fasting, prayer, ritual sacrifice, or charity are. And the Book of Allah will be taken up in a single night, so that not one verse of it will remain on earth. And groups of people will remain—old men and old women—who will say: We found our fathers upon this word La ilaha illa Allah, so we say it.' Hudhayfah said to Silah: 'It will save them from the Fire!' (Sunan Ibn Majah 4049, al-Mustadrak 8460).
Occurs among the final major signs after the era of Isa (AS) and before the Hour falls upon the worst of people.
Recite, memorize, and act upon the Qur'an while it is in our hands and hearts today, and never neglect the testimony of La ilaha illa Allah.
Draft brief, not yet checked by the scholar board. The full texts are in the Sources tab and the scholars' views in their own tab.
Where it sits in the sequence
Phase 5 · The last signs
The sun rising from the west and the Beast come close together, whichever is first (Sahih Muslim 2941). One version of Sahih Muslim 2901 ends its list with a fire that drives people to their gathering. The narrations here do not fix the places of the Smoke or the destruction of the Ka'bah.
What scholars have said
No scholar here cites it as having appeared
Draft attributions: each must be checked against the named book before publication.
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani & Ibn Taymiyyah
Grade Hudhayfah's narration in Sunan Ibn Majah 4049 authentic and explain that at the very end of time, after knowledge is neglected, Allah will lift the Qur'an by night from both the written pages (masahif) and people's hearts so that it is not left among the worst of people upon whom the Hour will be established.
Fath al-Bari, on Sahih al-Bukhari 7068; Majmu' al-Fatawa 3/198
No historical or present-day data has been entered for this sign yet. Each figure will carry its source and an as-of date.