يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ لَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا اسْمُهُ، وَلَا يَبْقَى مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ إِلَّا رَسْمُهُ، مَسَاجِدُهُمْ عَامِرَةٌ، وَهِيَ خَرَابٌ مِنَ الْهُدَى، عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ شَرٌّ مَنْ تَحْتَ أَدِيمِ السَّمَاءِ، مِنْ عِنْدِهِمْ تَخْرُجُ الْفِتْنَةُ وَفِيهِمْ تَعُودُ
Translation: A time may soon come when only Islam’s name remains, and only the outward script of the Qur’an remains. Their mosques will be populated yet devoid of guidance; their scholars will be the worst under the sky, with turmoil arising from among them and returning to them.
Source: البيهقي
يُوشِكُ means “it is near that…” The structure لَا يَبْقَى ... إِلَّا restricts what remains: “nothing but…” اسْمُهُ means its name, and رَسْمُهُ its outward script or written form.
The warning concerns preserving religious names and appearances while neglecting guidance and practice. It is not a warrant to label every individual or mosque; it invites personal and communal reform.