Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Wabisa Asadi (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I was in my house in Kufa when I heard a voice at the door: "Peace be upon you, may I come in?" I said: "And peace be upon you, yes, please come in." That person was Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). I said: "O Abu Abdur Rahman! What time is this for a visit?" It was exactly midday. He said: "The day was feeling long for me, so I thought with whom should I spend time talking, (so I came to you)." Then he began narrating to me the Prophetic hadiths and I to him, and he narrated this hadith as well: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There will be tribulations; in those circumstances, the one who is asleep will be better than the one lying down, the one lying down will be better than the one sitting, the one sitting will be better than the one standing, the one standing will be better than the one walking, the one walking will be better than the one riding, and the one riding a camel will be better than the one fleeing on horseback. All those killed in these battles will be in Hell." Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I asked: O Messenger of Allah! When will such circumstances arise?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "In the days of widespread killing." I asked: "When will there be widespread killing?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a person will not trust the one sitting with him." I asked: "If I reach such a time, what do you command me to do?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Restrain your self and your hand, and stay inside your house." I asked: "O Messenger of Allah! If a quarrelsome person enters my house?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then go into one of the rooms of your house." I asked: "If he enters my room as well?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then enter the place where you pray and do this." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) grasped the edge of the closed fist of his left hand with the thumb of his right hand and said: "And say: 'Allah is my Lord,' until you die in that state."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Soon there will be tribulations; in them, the one lying down will be better than the one sitting, the one sitting will be better than the one standing, the one standing will be better than the one walking, and the one walking will be better than the one running to join the tribulations. A man said: O Messenger of Allah! What do you command me to do in such circumstances? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever has camels should busy himself with his camels, whoever has goats should occupy himself with his goats, whoever has land should engage himself with his land, and whoever has none of these should strike his sword on a stone and render its edge useless, and as much as possible, keep away from these tribulations; he should keep away from these tribulations as much as he can.

. (Second chain) After the last words of the above hadith, "he should stay away from these tribulations as much as possible," there is this addition: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: O Allah! Indeed, I have conveyed Your message; O Allah! Indeed, I have conveyed Your message. Upon hearing this, a man said: O Messenger of Allah! May Allah sacrifice me for you. If a man grabs my hand and forces me to stand with a particular row or group, and then someone strikes me with a sword and kills me, what will become of me? What is your opinion about this? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: He will return with his sins and your sins, and he will be among the people of Hell.

Sayyiduna Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said, regarding the turmoil that arose about Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him): I bear witness that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Soon there will be a turmoil; in it, the one who sits will be better than the one who stands, the one who stands will be better than the one who walks, and the one who walks will be better than the one who runs to take part in it. A man asked: If someone forcibly enters my house and raises his hand to kill me, what should I do? He replied: Adopt the conduct of the son of Adam (peace be upon him) (who himself was killed but did not raise his hand against the other).

Abdullah bin Shaqiq says: A man from the tribe of Anzah named Zaidah or Mazeedah bin Hawalah narrated, he says: We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, the people stopped at a place, and the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also sat under a large tree. I was returning after finishing some work when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw me. Only the scribe (the one who writes) was with him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: O Ibn Hawalah! Should your name also be written? I said: O Messenger of Allah! In what regard? Then he did not give me any answer and turned towards the scribe. When I came closer, he again said: O Ibn Hawalah! Should your name also be written? I said: O Messenger of Allah! In what regard? He did not give me any answer and turned towards the scribe. Meanwhile, I came very close to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and saw that at the beginning of the writing, the names of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, were written. Seeing this, I realized that their names must have been written for some good purpose. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then said: Ibn Hawalah! Should we write your name as well? I said: Yes, O Prophet of Allah! Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Ibn Hawalah! What will you do during that tribulation which will spread around the land like the horns of a cow? I said: O Messenger of Allah! You, peace and blessings be upon him, tell me what I should do during that time? He said: You should go to the land of Sham (Greater Syria). Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: What will you do during that tribulation which will arise soon after the first tribulation, like the leap of a rabbit? Sayyiduna Zaidah, may Allah be pleased with him, says: I do not remember what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the second tribulation, but if I had remembered what he, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the second tribulation, it would have been more beloved to me than so many treasures.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I passed by the place of Rabdhah, where a tent was pitched. I asked, “Whose tent is this?” Someone said, “This is the tent of Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him).” So I sought permission to enter the tent and went inside. I said, “May Allah’s mercy be upon you, what are you doing in this wilderness? It would have been better if you had stayed among the people and enjoined good upon them and forbade them from evil.” He said, “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Soon there will be tribulation, discord, and differences, and if such circumstances arise, then take your sword and strike it against this Uhud mountain until it becomes blunt, break your arrow, cut the string of your bow, and sit in your house.” Now, this has happened (that is why I am sitting here). In another narration it is stated: “Strike your sword against the mountain and break it, then sit in your house until either a tyrant enters your house or Allah keeps you safe.” Whatever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said has come to pass, and I have acted upon what he commanded me. Then he had the sword hanging from the pole of the tent taken down, but when it was drawn from its sheath, it was a wooden sword. Then he said: “I have broken my sword in obedience to the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I have kept this only to frighten people.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Dhu Asabi’ (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: O Messenger of Allah! If after you we live long enough that our trials begin, then to which place would you command us to go? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Go to Bayt al-Maqdis, for it is possible that your offspring will increase there and they will be able to go to the mosque morning and evening.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) rode on a donkey and seated me behind him, and said: O Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), what do you think, if people are afflicted with a severe trial of hunger and you do not even have the strength to go from your bed to the mosque, then what will you do? He said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace be upon him) said: In such circumstances, refrain from asking anyone for anything. He then asked: Abu Dharr! What do you think, if death becomes so widespread among people that a grave is obtained in exchange for a slave, then what will you do? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In such circumstances, be patient. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further asked: Abu Dharr! What do you think, if people start killing each other and so much blood is shed that the place of Hijarat al-Zayt is submerged in blood, then what will you do? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sit inside your house and keep the door closed. I said: What if I am still not left alone? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then go to your people and stay among them. I said: Should I take up my weapon? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you take up your weapon, then you will also become a participant in the people's fighting. Your situation should be such that when you begin to fear the flash of the sword, then cover your face with your sheet, so that (the killer) returns with his own and your sin.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: What will be your condition when you remain among lowly people? I said: O Messenger of Allah! When will such circumstances arise? He said: When dishonesty enters into the promises and trusts of the Muslims, and they will become like this. Yunus, the narrator, explained this by interlacing his fingers. I said: O Messenger of Allah! What should I do at that time? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Keep fearing Allah, do good deeds, refrain from wrong actions, take care of your specific people, and avoid the general people.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A time will come upon the people when they will be scrutinized in such a way that only the lowly and worthless people will remain. Deceit will enter into their promises and trusts, and they will differ among themselves and become like this." The narrator interlaced his fingers. The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah! What will be the way out of such circumstances?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do good deeds, avoid evil deeds, pay attention to specific people, and leave the affairs of the common people."

Rabi’ says: I heard a man at the funeral of Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: I heard the man lying on this bier narrate, he once said: After hearing a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I do not feel any discomfort; if you fight among yourselves, I will enter my house, and if anyone (an oppressor) enters my house, I will say: Here you go (kill me), and then return with your sin and mine.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: After me, soon there will be differences and the like; if you have the ability to keep away from them, then do so.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who says: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: "A time will come upon you when a person will be given a choice between two things: either he endures (people's taunts, reproach, and oppression) or he becomes a partner in sin. Whoever reaches such a time, let him endure (the taunts and reproach) rather than become a partner in sin."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Before the Day of Judgment, there will be tribulations like pieces of a dark night descending, (and the situation will become so severe that) a man will be a believer in the morning, but by evening he will have become a disbeliever. Similarly, a man will be a believer in the evening, but by morning he will have become a disbeliever. In such circumstances, the one who is sitting will be better than the one who is standing, the one who is standing will be better than the one who is walking, and the one who is walking will be better than the one who is running towards that tribulation, i.e., taking part in it. In such circumstances, you should break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords on stones to break them, and if an oppressor enters your house and commits excesses, then you should become like the better son of Adam (peace be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We were with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and we heard him say: Before the Day of Judgment, tribulations will spread like pieces of a dark night, (the situation will be so severe that) a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever by evening, or a believer in the evening and a disbeliever by morning. People will sell their share (of religion) for a small portion of worldly goods. Hasan says: By Allah! We have seen such people, their faces are like those of humans, but they are devoid of intellect, and they have bodies but lack understanding. They are as senseless as moths drawn to fire and as greedy as flies. They take two dirhams in the morning and two dirhams in the evening, and they sell their religion for the price of a goat.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Destruction is for the Arabs because of an evil that has drawn near; that is, tribulations will arise like pieces of a dark night. (Due to the severity of these tribulations) a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the evening; people will sell their religion for a small portion of worldly goods. In those days, the example of one who acts upon the religion will be like that of a person who holds a burning ember or a thorn in his fist. Hasan, in his narration, said: the leaves of a thorn.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "A time will come upon the people when the most virtuous among them will be the one who stands ready, holding the reins of his horse in the way of Allah. As soon as he hears the call for jihad, he mounts his horse and seeks death in places where its chances are greatest. Or, the one who resides in a mountain pass, regularly performs prayer, pays zakat, and deals with people only in goodness."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A time is near when the best wealth of a Muslim will be sheep, which he will take to the tops of mountains and places where rain falls, grazing them and thus protecting his religion from tribulations."