What is the meaning of the Hadith: "Indeed, before the Hour, there will be much Harj." I (the narrator) said: "O Messenger of Allah, what is Harj?" He said: "Killing." Some of the Muslims then said: "O Messenger of Allah, we are now killing such and such a number of polytheists in one year." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is not the killing of polytheists, but rather some of you will kill others, until a man kills his neighbor, and his cousin, and his relatives." Some of the people then asked: "O Messenger of Allah, will we have our minds with us on that day?" The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, the minds of most people of that time will be removed, and they will be replaced by mere scum of people who have no minds." Then Al-Ash'ari said: "By Allah, I truly think it will reach me and you. And by Allah, there is no way out for me and for you from it if it reaches us, according to what our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entrusted to us, except that we depart from it as we entered it." And specifically, what is the meaning of: "No, the minds of most people of that time will be removed, and they will be replaced by mere scum of people who have no minds"?
The hadith was narrated by Ibn Majah, Ahmad, and others, and authenticated by Al-Hakim and Al-Albani. Its subject matter is the signs of the Hour and the tribulations that precede it, such as widespread killing and the disregard for lives. It is reported in Sahih Muslim from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet said: "The world will not perish until a day comes upon people when the killer does not know why he killed, nor does the killed know why he was killed." The meaning of the phrase "the minds of most people of that time will be removed" is that minds are removed due to intense greed and ignorance. "Al-Haba'" refers to the dregs of humanity.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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