i. Evidence from the Qur’an
Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning), "What are they waiting for, but for the Hour to come upon them suddenly? Its portents have already appeared, so what good will it do them to pay heed when it has actually come upon them?" (Muhammad 47:18) Al-Baghawi said, “The words Its portents have already appeared mean: its signs … And the words so what good will it do them to pay heed when it has actually come upon them? mean: how will they be reminded, pay attention or repent when the Hour has actually come upon them?”

ii. Evidence from the Sunnah
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Jibril (peace be upon him) said, "O Messenger of Allah, when will the Hour come? The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The one who is asked about it does not know more than the one who is asking, but I shall tell you of its portents: when the slave woman gives birth to her mistress, that is one of its portents. When the barefoot and naked become the leaders of the people, that is one of its portents.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim) Ibn al-Mulaqqin said, “What is meant here is an explanation of some of the signs of the Hour. Those signs are not limited to what is mentioned here, because they also include: the taking away of knowledge, the prevalence of ignorance, the spread of zina, the reduction in the numbers of men, the increase in the numbers of women, widespread killing, people who are not qualified becoming in charge, and other things that are mentioned in the sahih hadiths. Most of these signs have already happened and more are happening. We ask Allah for a good end.”

Scholarly views regarding the portents of the Hour
i. Abu’l-Hasan al-Ash‘ari said, “The scholars are unanimously agreed that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) will intercede for some of his ummah who committed major sins… And that believing in what has been narrated about the Prophet’s Night Journey (Isra’) to the heavens is obligatory. It is also obligatory to believe in what has been narrated about the Dajjal, the descent of ‘Isa ibn Maryam and his killing the Dajjal, and all the other signs mentioned in the mutawatir reports that will appear ahead of the Hour, such as the rising of the sun from its place of setting, the emergence of the Beast and other things that were narrated to us by trustworthy narrators from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and they have proven to us that these reports are sound… And the scholars are unanimously agreed that we must believe in everything that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) brought.”
ii. Ibn Mandah said, “It is obligatory to believe in what the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told us of future signs until the onset of the Hour.” Then he quoted several hadiths about that.
iii. Abu ‘Amr al-Dani said, “It is obligatory to believe in what has been narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and proven by sound transmission, and the Muslims have transmitted it generation after generation, about the hereafter, tribulations, the signs and portents of the Hour, and that it is nigh.”
iv. Ibn ‘Uthaymin said, “The portents of the Hour are its signs which indicate that it is nigh. The scholars have divided them into three categories:
- The first category is portents that have already happened.
- The second category is portents that are still ongoing. This is a middle category.
- The third category is major portents that will occur when the onset of the Hour is close.”