Sa'd b. Abu Waqqas reported the Prophet as saying, "I hope my people will not fail to maintain their position in the sight of their Lord if He delays them for half a day." Sa`d was asked how long half a day was and said it was five hundred years. [*] *Mirqat, 5:215, explains this as indicating that the last day would not occur within 500 years of the Prophet's time. He hoped his people would keep the faith during all that period. Abu Dawud transmitted it.