SAEDNEWS: The End Times is a period associated with the appearance of Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance). According to various narrations, signs concerning women, changes in moral values, and their role in the developments of this era have been described.
According to Saednews, In its literal sense, the term “End Times” refers to the closing period of an era. In Islamic teachings, however, it commonly refers to a period associated with major changes in human society and, according to Shiite belief, the eventual appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), who will establish justice and righteousness throughout the world.
Numerous narrations attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are found in both Shiite and Sunni sources concerning the conditions of the End Times and the appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.).
In Islamic literature, the expression “End Times” is generally understood in two ways, each referring to a different period in human history.
In the broader sense, the End Times can refer to the long period beginning with the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and continuing until the Day of Judgment. For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad is sometimes described as the Prophet of the End Times.
In a more specific sense, the End Times refers to the period associated with the birth of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), including his Minor and Major Occultation and, ultimately, his appearance and the establishment of a just global government.
According to these teachings, the first stage is characterized by increasing corruption, injustice, oppression, and the weakening of moral values. In the later stage, following the rise of the promised universal reformer, these conditions are transformed and justice replaces oppression.
This period is described as one in which monotheism, social justice, intellectual development, scientific advancement, and divine values spread throughout the world.
Some Islamic narrations describe social and moral changes involving women during the End Times. One narration attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) states:
“What will you do when your women become corrupt, your young people become immoral, and you neither encourage what is right nor forbid what is wrong?”
The Prophet was asked whether such a situation would really occur. He replied that it would, and that conditions could become even worse, to the point where people would encourage wrongdoing and discourage righteousness. Eventually, people would regard what is good as evil and what is evil as good.
(Mishkat al-Anwar fi Ghurar al-Akhbar, vol. 1, p. 87)
Another narration attributed to Imam Ali (a.s.) describes a period near the end of time in which some women would openly display their adornment, become involved in social conflicts and temptations, pursue worldly pleasures, and regard religious prohibitions as permissible.
(Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih, vol. 3, p. 390; Makarim al-Akhlaq, p. 201)
A number of narrations portray the End Times as a period in which religious values become weakened and social standards are reversed.
According to a narration attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a time will come when religious teachings are fragmented, established traditions are regarded as innovations, and innovations are treated as established traditions. People of integrity may be regarded as deceptive, while dishonest individuals may gain respect and influence.
Believers may become marginalized, while immoral people receive social status. Children may become disrespectful, modesty may decline, and seeking help from others may become associated with humiliation.
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 22, p. 453)
Another narration describes a society in which people become excessively attached to material possessions.
The narration says that a time will come when people treat their own desires as their ultimate authority, worldly relationships as objects of devotion, and wealth as their religion. Material possessions become the source of honor and social status.
According to the same narration, only the written form of the Quran and the name of Islam may remain among people, while the spiritual reality of religion becomes increasingly neglected.
Even when mosques are beautifully maintained and expanded, people's hearts may become distant from divine guidance.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is also reported to have warned of a period when people's inner lives would become corrupt while their outward appearance would be decorated by their desire for worldly success.
Their religious practices would increasingly become matters of appearance and hypocrisy rather than sincere devotion. Fear of God would disappear from their hearts, and widespread difficulties would affect society.
People might call upon God in times of desperation, yet their prayers would not receive an answer because of their spiritual condition.
Another narration describes people who outwardly appear human but whose hearts become cruel and destructive.
They are compared to predatory animals because of their violence and lack of compassion. A person who speaks among them may be called a liar, while others may speak against him in his absence.
Wrongdoing becomes normalized, and even the prayers of righteous people may appear ineffective because corrupt individuals gain power over society.
According to one narration, people in such a period may face four major forms of hardship:
Violation of people's honor and dignity
Oppression and humiliation by wealthy and powerful individuals
Severe drought and economic hardship
Injustice imposed by rulers and judges
When the Prophet's companions expressed surprise and asked whether such people would become idol worshippers, he reportedly explained that excessive attachment to money could itself become a form of idolatry.
A narration recorded in Kanz al-Ummal describes a period when maintaining one's faith becomes extremely difficult.
A person may have to isolate himself from society in order to preserve his religious beliefs, much like a fox escaping danger with its young.
The narration further describes a time when earning a livelihood may become so difficult that people are tempted to commit sins merely to survive. Family and social pressures may push individuals toward choices that ultimately lead to moral and spiritual destruction.
(Kanz al-Ummal, Hadith 31008)
According to a narration recorded in Bihar al-Anwar, a time will come when little remains of Islam among some people except its name, and little remains of the Quran except its written form.
Mosques may be prosperous and physically well maintained, while people's hearts remain spiritually distant from divine guidance.
Believers may live among society while remaining spiritually separated from its prevailing values, because guidance and misguidance cannot truly become one even when they exist side by side.
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 190)
Some narrations describe the End Times as a period in which public morality deteriorates dramatically.
One narration attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) describes a future society in which serious violations against people's dignity could occur openly without others condemning them.
A narration attributed to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) also connects the appearance of Imam Mahdi with a period in which traditional social and moral boundaries become increasingly confused.
(Kamal al-Din, vol. 1, p. 331)
Some narrations describe major changes within the family.
A man may become excessively obedient to his wife while neglecting his parents. Family responsibilities may become secondary to personal desires, and relationships between husbands and wives may become increasingly hostile.
Other narrations describe children disrespecting their parents, parents becoming dissatisfied with their children, family members abandoning one another, and the traditional bonds of kinship becoming weaker.
Some narrations describe the End Times as a period in which compassion and human solidarity decline.
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have said:
“The elder will not have mercy on the young, nor will the strong have mercy on the weak.”
The narration continues by associating this condition with the time when God permits Imam Mahdi (a.s.) to rise.
(Bihar al-Anwar)
This description emphasizes the loss of empathy, the widening of social divisions, and the replacement of compassion with indifference.
Another narration describes a future period in which people will avoid genuine religious scholars as sheep flee from a wolf.
According to the narration, when this happens, society will face three consequences:
Blessing will be removed from people's wealth.
An unjust ruler will gain authority over them.
Some people will eventually leave the world without faith.
(Rawdat al-Wa'izin)
Another narration describes religious commitment during the End Times as being extremely difficult.
A person asked the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) what would happen to people's religion. He reportedly answered that a time would come when preserving one's faith would be as difficult as holding a burning object in one's hand.
This imagery emphasizes the pressure placed upon believers when social conditions become hostile to religious values.
One narration attributed to Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) states:
“The Qa'im will not rise except amid intense fear, earthquakes, trials, and affliction that will strike the people before that.”
(Al-Ghaybah, al-Nu'mani)
According to this narration, the appearance of Imam Mahdi is associated with a period of severe instability, fear, social turmoil, and widespread trials.
The narration is traditionally understood as describing the difficult circumstances preceding his rise and the transformation that follows it.
Another narration attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) describes a period in which moral character declines so severely that people may humiliate themselves simply to obtain a small amount of food or money.
Businesspeople may engage in fraud and usury, while worldly appearance and social status become increasingly important.
In such a society, corrupt individuals may gain control, while people's prayers may go unanswered.
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 77, p. 369)
Some narrations also warn about parents who neglect the religious education of their children.
One narration states that children in the End Times may suffer because their Muslim parents fail to teach them religious obligations and may even prevent them from pursuing religious knowledge.
According to the narration, some parents become satisfied merely when their children acquire worldly wealth, even if their spiritual education is neglected.
(Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, vol. 15, p. 164)
Islamic teachings also emphasize that the End Times are not only a period of corruption and hardship. They are also a test of faith and an opportunity for steadfastness.
Imam Ali (a.s.) is reported to have described sincere believers during times of widespread turmoil as people who may remain unknown and avoid seeking recognition.
They do not spread corruption or conflict, do not promote immorality, and do not become involved in meaningless disputes. According to the narration, God opens the doors of mercy to such people and removes difficulties from them.
(Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 103)
When Imam Ali (a.s.) was asked whether believers would still exist during such difficult times, he answered in the affirmative.
He explained that their faith would not disappear because of the trials, except perhaps as rain gradually wears away a hard stone. Nevertheless, they would live through considerable hardship.
Imam Ali (a.s.) is also reported to have described a society in which people gain status through gossip and slander, immoral individuals are admired, and fair-minded people are looked down upon.
Helping the poor may be regarded as a loss, while maintaining family relationships may be considered merely an act of generosity rather than a moral responsibility.
(Nahj al-Balagha, Saying 102)
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.) is reported to have said that God knew that people in the End Times would possess deep and analytical minds. For this reason, certain Quranic passages, including Surah al-Ikhlas and verses from Surah al-Hadid, were revealed as guidance for them.
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 60, p. 18)
According to narrations attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Islam will continue to exist until the Day of Judgment, with groups of believers defending its principles.
The Prophet is also reported to have said that in every era there would be people who uphold God's teachings and are not intimidated by those who oppose them.
(Kanz al-Ummal, Hadiths 34499 and 34500)
Another narration advises believers that when religious teachings become surrounded by competing ideas and interpretations, they should preserve their faith sincerely and avoid allowing it to become corrupted by worldly influences.
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 52, p. 111)
Various narrations attributed to Islamic religious figures mention additional social conditions associated with the End Times, including:
Parents becoming dissatisfied with their children and even wishing for their death
Sudden deaths and repeated violence
Oppression of vulnerable people by powerful individuals
Economic corruption and unlawful earnings
Disrespect toward parents
Children accusing or insulting their parents
Children wishing for or celebrating the death of their parents
Emotional coldness within families
The breakdown of family ties
Indifference toward protecting and supporting one's family
Excessive pursuit of physical desires
The weakening of compassion and social responsibility
The spread of dishonesty, injustice, and corruption
In Islamic eschatological teachings, the End Times are portrayed as a period of profound social, moral, economic, and religious challenges. The narrations describe a world in which injustice, materialism, dishonesty, social division, and spiritual neglect may become widespread.
At the same time, these teachings emphasize that sincere believers can preserve their faith even under extreme pressure. The eventual appearance of Imam Mahdi (a.s.), according to Shiite belief, represents the transition from widespread oppression and disorder toward justice, righteousness, and a divinely guided global society.
The central message of these teachings is therefore not simply a warning about future difficulties, but also a call to maintain faith, morality, compassion, justice, and spiritual awareness during times of widespread corruption.
