Trials and Tribulations
Zaynab bint Jahsh said, The Prophet (sallallâhu ’alayhi wa sallam) got up from his sleep; his face was flushed and he said,"There is no god but Allâh. Woe to the Arabs, for a great evil which is nearly approaching them. Today a gap has been made in the wall of Gog and Magog like this (Sufyan illustrated this by forming the number of 90 or 100 with his fingers)."Someone asked, "Shall we be destroyed even though there are righteous people among us?" The Prophet said, "Yes, if evil increases." (al-Bukhârî).
Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet said, One night the Prophet got up and said, "Subhan Allâh! How many tribulations have come down tonight, and how many treasures have been disclosed! Go and wake the dwellers of these apartments (i e his wives) for prayer. A well-dressed soul in this world may be naked in the Hereafter." (al-Bukhârî)
Usamah ibn Zayd said, Once the Prophet stood over one of the battlements of al-Madînah and asked the people, "Do you see what I see?" They said, "No." He said, "I see afflictions falling upon your houses as raindrops fall." (al-Bukhârî, Muslim.)
Abû Hurayrah (radiAllâhu anhu) said, The Prophet said, "Time will pass rapidly, knowledge will decrease, miserliness will become widespread in peoples hearts, afflictions will appear, and there will be much Harj." The people asked, "O Messenger of Allâh, what is Harj?" He said, "Killing, killing!" (al-Bukhârî)
Al-Zubayr ibn Adi narrated, We went to Anas ibn Malik and complained about the wrong we were suffering at the hands of al-Hajjaj. Anas ibn Malik said, "Be patient, For no time will come but that the time following it will be worse, until you meet your Lord. I heard the Prophet say that." (al-Bukhârî)
Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "There will come a time of afflictions when one who sits will be better than one who stands; one who stands will be better than one who walks; and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Whoever exposes himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it." (al-Bukhârî and Muslim.)
Hudhayfah said, "The Prophet told us two Hadîth, one of which I have seen fulfilled, and I am waiting for the fulfilment of the other. The Prophet told us that honesty came down into mens hearts (from Allâh); then they learnt it from the Qur'ân, and then from the Sunnah. The Prophet told us that honesty would be taken away. He said, Man will be overtaken by sleep, during which honesty will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, like traces of a dark spot. Then man will be overtaken by slumber again, during which honesty will decrease still further, until its trace will resemble a blister such as is caused when an ember is dropped onto ones foot: it swells, but there is nothing inside. People will be carrying on with their trade, but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons. People will say, There is an honest man in such-and-such a tribe. Later they will say about some man, What a wise, polite and strong man he is! - although he will not have faith even the size of a mustard-seed in his heart. Indeed, there came a time when I did not mind dealing with any one of you, for if he were a Muslim his Islâm would compel him to pay whatever he owed me, and if he were a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay it. But now I do not deal with anyone except so-and-so and so-and-so." (al-Bukhârî)
Ibn Umar said, The Prophet stood beside the pulpit, facing the east, and said, "Afflictions will verily emerge from here, where the top of Satans head will appear." (al-Bukhârî)
Abû Hurayrah said that he had heard the Prophet say, "The Hour will not come until a man passes by someone's grave and says, Would that I were in his place!" (al-Bukhârî)
Abû Hurayrah said, I heard the Prophet say, "The Hour will not come until the buttocks of the women of Daws* move whist going around Dhu l-Khalasah." Dhu l-Khalasah was an idol worshipped by the tribe of Daws during the Jahiliyyah. (Hadîth from al-Bukhârî)
Abû Hurayrah also said, The Prophet said, "The Euphrates will disclose a golden treasure. Whoever is present at that time should not take anything of it." Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come before the Euphrates uncovers a mountain of gold, for which people will fight. Ninety-nine out of every hundred will die, but every one among them will say that perhaps he will be the one who will survive (and thus possess the gold)." (Muslim.)
Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "The Hour will not come until the following events have come to pass: two large groups will fight the another, and there will be many casualties; they will both be following the same religious teaching. Nearly thirty Dajjals will appear, each of them falsely claiming to be a Messenger from Allâh. Knowledge will disappear, earthquakes will increase, time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, and Harj (ie killing) will increase. Wealth will increase, so that a wealthy man will worry lest no-one accept his Zakat, and when he offers it to anyone, that person will say, I am not in need of it. People will compete in constructing high buildings. When a man passes by someones grave, he will say, Would that I were in his place! The sun will rise from the west; when it rises and the people see it, they will believe, but, "No good will it do to a soul to believe in them then, if it believed not before nor earned righteousness through its faith..." (Al-Anam 6:158) The Hour will come suddenly: when a man has milked his she-camel and taken away the milk, but he will not have time to drink it; before a man repairing a tank for his livestock will be able to put water in it for his animals; and before a man who has raised a morsel of food to his mouth will be able to eat it." (al-Bukhârî)
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman said, "Of all the people, I know most about every tribulation which is going to happen between now and the Hour. This is not because the Prophet told me something in confidence which he did not tell anyone else; it is because I was present among a group of people to whom he spoke about the tribulations (al-Fitan). The Prophet mentioned three tribulations which would hardly spare anybody, and some which would be like storms in summer; some would be great and some would be small. Everyone who was present at that gathering has passed away, except me." (Muslim.)
Abû Hurayrah said, I heard the Prophet say, "If you live for a while, you will see people go out under the wrath of Allâh and come back under His curse, and they will have in their hands whips like the tail of an ox." (Ahmad, Muslim.)
Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "There are two types among the people of Hell whom I have not yet seen. The first are people who have whips like the tails of oxen, with which they beat people, and the second are women who are naked in spite of being dressed; they will be led astray and will lead others astray, and their heads will look like camels humps. These women will not enter Paradise ; they will not even experience the faintest scent of it, even though the fragrance of Paradise can be perceived from such a great distance."
Abû Hurayrah said, The Prophet said, "Woe to the Arabs from the great evil which is nearly approaching them: it will be like patches of dark night. A man will wake up as a believer, and be a kafir (unbeliever) by nightfall. People will sell their religion for a small amount of worldly goods. The one who clings to his religion on that day will be as one who is grasping an ember - or thorns." (Ahmad)
Abû Hurayrah said, I heard the Prophet saying to Thawban, "O Thawban, what will you do when the nations call one another to invade you as people call one another to come and eat from one bowl?" Thawban said, May my father and my mother be sacrificed for you. O Messenger of Allâh! Is it because we are so few The Prophet said, "No, on that day you (Muslims) will be many, but Allâh will put weakness (wahn) in your hearts." The people asked, What is that weakness, O Messenger of Allâh? He said, "It is love for this world and dislike of fighting." (Ahmad)
The Prophet said, "There will be a tribulation in which one who is sleeping will be better than one who is lying down, one who is lying will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than on who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, one who is walking will be better than one who is riding, and one who is riding will be better than one who is running; all of their dead will be in Hell." The Companion of the Prophet who narrated this Hadîth said, O Messenger of Allâh, when will that be? He said, "That will be the days of Harj." He asked, When will the days of Harj be? The Prophet said, "When a man will not trust the person to whom he is speaking." The Companion asked, What do you advise me to do if I live to see that? He said, "Restrain yourself, and go back to your place of residence." The Companion then asked, O Messenger of Allâh, what should I do if someone enters my neighbourhood to attack me? He said,"Go into your house." The Companion asked, What if he enters my house? He said, "Go into the place where you pray and do this - and he folded his arms, - and say My Lord is Allâh, until you die."
Abû Bakrah said, The Prophet said, "There will be a tribulation during which one who is lying down will be better than one who is sitting, one who is sitting will be better than one who is standing, one who is standing will be better than one who is walking, and one who is walking will be better than one who is running." Someone asked, O Messenger of Allâh, what do you advise me to do? He said, "Whoever has camels, let him stay with them, and whoever has land, let him stay in his land."Someone asked, What about someone who does not have anything like that? He said, "Then let him take his sword and strike its edge against a stone, then go as far away as possible." (Abû Dâwûd; similar Hadîth in Muslim.)
At the time of the Fitnah of Uthman ibn Affans Khilafah (Caliphate), Sad ibn Abi Waqqas said, I bear witness that the Prophet said, "There will come a tribulation during which one who sits will be better than one who stands, one who stands will be better than one who walks, and one who walks will be better than one who runs." Someone asked, What do you advise if someone enters my house to kill me? He said, "Be like the son of Adam (ie resign yourself)." (Muslim, at-Tirmidhî.)
Abû Musa al-Ashari said, The Prophet said, "Before the Hour comes, there will be a tribulation like patches of dark night. A man will get up a believer and go to sleep a kafir, or will go to sleep a believer and get up a kafir. The one who sits will be better than one who stands, and one who walks will be better than one who runs. Break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords against stones. If someone comes to kill any of you, then be like the better of the two sons of Adam." (Abû Dâwûd)
Abû Dharr said, The Prophet was riding a donkey and sat me behind him. He said, "O Abû Dharr, if the people were suffering from such severe hunger that you could not even get up from your bed to go to the mosque, what would you do?" I said, Allâh and His Messenger know best. He said, "Be decent and restrain yourself." Then he said, "O Abû Dharr, if the people were suffering from severe death (i e if a man were worth no more than a grave), what would you do? If the people were killing one another, until Hajarat al-Zayt (an area of Madînah) were submerged in blood, what would you do?" I said, Allâh and His Messenger know best. He said, "Stay in your house and lock the door." I asked, What if I am not left alone? He said, "Then be one of them." I said, Should I take up my sword? He said, "If you did that, you would be joining them in their activities. No - if you fear that the brightness of the shining sword will disturb you, then cover your face with part of your clothing, and let him carry his own sin and your sin." (Ahmad)
'Abdullâh ibn Amr said, We were on a journey with the Prophet...When the Prophet's caller called for prayer, I went there. The Prophet was addressing the people, saying: "O people, it has been the duty of every Prophet before me to guide his people to whatever he knew was good for them, and to warn them against whatever he knew was bad for them, but this Ummah has its time of peace and security at the beginning; at the end of its existence it will suffer trials and tribulations, one after the other. Tribulation will come, and the believer will say, This will finish me, but it will pass. Another tribulation will come, and he will say, This is it, but it will pass, and a third will come and go likewise. Whoever wishes to be rescued from Hell, and enter Paradise, let him die believing in Allâh and the Last Day, and treat the people as he himself wishes to be treated. If anyone gives allegiance to an Imâm, then let him obey him if he can (or on one occasion he said: as much as you can)."
Abd al-Rahman (one of the narrators of this Hadîth) said, When I heard that, I put my head between my knees and said, But your cousin Muawiyah is ordering us to squander our wealth among ourselves in vanity, and to kill each other, although Allâh has said, "O ye who believe! Squander not your wealth among yourselves in vanity..." (Al-Nisa 4:29)
'Abdullâh (another narrator) put his head in his hands and paused awhile, then he raised his head and said, "Obey him in that which is obedience to Allâh and disobey that which is disobedience to Allâh." I asked him, Did you hear that from the Prophet? He said, "Yes, I heard it with my ears and understood it in my heart." (Ahmad, Abû Dâwûd, al-Nasai, Ibn Majah.)
