Hadith of I and the Hour
| Subject | Close connection between the Prophet's mission and the Resurrection |
|---|---|
| Issued by | Prophet Muhammad (s) |
| Shi'a sources | • Al-Amali (by al-Mufid) • Al-Amali • Al-Khara'ij wa l-jara'ih (book) • Al-Imama wa al-tabsira min al-hayra |
| Sunni sources | Sahih al-Bukhari |
I was sent together with the Hour like these two (Arabic:بُعِثْتُ أَنَا وَ اَلسَّاعَةُ کَهَاتَیْنِ), Buʿithtu ana wa al-sāʿa ka-hātayn is a prophetic hadith that refers to the close connection between the Prophet's mission and the Resurrection. According to a report transmitted by al-Shaykh al-Mufid from Imam al-Sadiq (a), the Prophet (s) ascended the pulpit with a pale face and said, “O Muslims, my mission and the Hour are like these two fingers.” He then placed his two index fingers side by side.
Two main interpretations have been offered concerning the meaning of this hadith:
- Related to the Resurrection: A number of Shia scholars—such as Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi, Lutf Allah Safi Gulpayigani and Nasir Makarim Shirazi have understood the Prophet’s (s) mission as one of the signs indicating the nearness of the Resurrection (ashrāṭ al-sāʿa). Others have interpreted the hadith as indicating the certainty and nearness of the Day of Resurrection. According to Abdullah Jawadi Amuli, this narration shows that the Prophet (s) possessed knowledge of the Resurrection and its events.
- Expressing the Prophet's Finality: Some scholars maintain that this hadith signifies the Prophet's finality, meaning that after the Khatam al-Nabiyyin (s), no prophet will be sent until the Day of Resurrection.
This hadith is recorded in numerous Shia and Sunni sources. Al-Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022) cites it through two chains in his al-Amali. Ibn Babawayh (d. 329/940) also narrates it in al-Imama wa al-tabsira min al-hayra, and al-Shaykh al-Tusi (d. 460/1067) transmits the same meaning in his al-Amali, using the wording: “buʿithtu anā wa al-sāʿa ka-hādhihi min hādhihi,” meaning that the interval between my mission and the Hour is like the distance between these two fingers. Al-Rawandi (d. 570/1174 or 580/1184) reports the content of the hadith with the phrasing, “buʿithtu wa al-sāʿa ka-farasay rihān,” meaning, “My mission and the Day of Resurrection are like two racing horses.”
Sunni scholars have also transmitted this narration, including in Musnad Ahmad, Sahih al-Bukhari and other sources.