What should be done during trials

Sayyiduna Kharashah bin al-Hurr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Soon after me there will be a tribulation in which the one asleep will be better than the one awake, and the one sitting in it will be better than the one walking. Whoever among you faces that situation, let him take his sword to a rock, strike the sword on that rock and break it, and then let him lie down until that tribulation comes to an end."
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains Abu Kathir al-Muharibi, whom I do not know, and the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Abu al-Ash'ath al-San'ani narrates: Yazid bin Mu'awiyah sent me to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him), and with me were some people from among the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). I came and asked: "What do you instruct people regarding this?" He said: "Sayyiduna Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed me that if I encountered such a situation, I should go to Mount Uhud, break my sword and sit in my house. I submitted: 'What if that (killer) comes to me in my house?' The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Go and sit in the inner part of the house. If he comes to you there as well, then kneel down on your knees and say: Go back bearing my sin and your sin! You will be among the people of Hell, and that is the recompense of the wrongdoers.'" Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abi Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "So I have broken my sword. If anyone comes to me in my house, I will go into the inner part of the house; and if he comes to me in the inner part of the house as well, I will kneel down on my knees and say what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed me to say."
Al-Bazzar recorded this narration; its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you see people fighting one another for the sake of the world, take your sword to the largest rock in the stony ground, strike the sword on that rock and break it. Then sit in your house until a sinful hand (that is, the hand of a killer) or a natural death comes to you." The narrator says: So I did just as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had commanded me.
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Sa'id bin Zayd al-Ashhali (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that he gave the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a sword as a gift which had come from Najran. The narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are: A sword that had come from Najran was given to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a gift. When he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave that sword to Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Wage jihad with it in the path of Allah. And when people's necks are set against one another, strike this sword on a stone, go inside your house and become a mat of your house, until a sinful hand (that is, the hand of a killer kills you) or a natural death comes."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and the narrators of al-Mu'jam al-Kabir are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave Sayyiduna Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him) a sword and said: "Keep fighting the polytheists as long as they are fought. And when you see swords set against one another among the Muslims, strike this sword and render it useless, and sit in your house until a natural death or a sinful hand (that is, the hand of a killer) comes to you." The narrator says: Then I came to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), and he too narrated to me a hadith like it from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

The son of Sayyiduna al-Hakam bin Amr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: My grandfather told me: "Once I was sitting with Sayyiduna al-Hakam bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) when a messenger of Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) came to him and said: 'You are the most entitled to help us in this matter.' He said: 'I heard my intimate friend (peace and blessings be upon him), who is your cousin, say: "When there is a situation like this, then I should take up a wooden sword." So I have taken up a wooden sword.'"
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains a narrator whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports as a marfu' hadith: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Tribulations will come to you like pieces of a dark night. In them a man will be a believer in the morning and become a disbeliever by the evening, or be a believer in the evening and have become a disbeliever by the morning. One of you will sell his religion for a little of the goods of this world." The narrator says: I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What should I do then?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Break your hand." I submitted: "What if a splint (that is, a bandage tied over a broken bone) is bound on it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Break the other one." I submitted: "What if a splint is bound on it?" He said: "Break your foot." I submitted: "What if a splint is bound on it?" He said: "Break the other foot as well." I submitted: "How long will this go on?" He said: "Until a sinful hand (that is, the hand of a killer) or a natural death comes to you."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat.

Rib'i narrates: At the funeral of Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) I heard a man saying that the one lying on this bier had said: "I have no concern, ever since I heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): if you people fight among yourselves, I will enter my house; and if anyone reaches me in my house, I will certainly say: 'Go back bearing my sin and your sin.'"
Ahmad recorded this narration, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih, except for one unnamed person.

Wabisah al-Asadi narrates: I was in my house in Kufah when I heard someone's voice at the door: "Peace be upon you; may I come in?" I said: "And upon you be peace; come in!" When he came in, it was Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him). I asked: "O Abu Abd al-Rahman! What sort of time is this for a visit?" The narrator says: This was at the height of midday. He said: "The day felt long to me, so I thought of someone with whom I could talk." The narrator says: Then he began narrating hadiths to me from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and I would narrate to him. He told me: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "There will be a tribulation in which the one 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 will be better than the one running. All who die in it will go to Hell." I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! When will this be?" He said: "These will be the days of killing and bloodshed." I submitted: "When will the days of killing and bloodshed be?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When a person will not be safe from the one sitting with him." I submitted: "If I reach that time, what do you command me regarding it?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Restrain your hand and your tongue and enter your house." The narrator says: I submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What is your view if someone comes to me in my house?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Remain in your house." I submitted: "What is your view if that person comes to me in my house?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Enter the mosque and then do like this" - and he gripped his wrist with his right hand - and he said: "Say: My Lord is Allah Almighty, until death comes to you in that very state." (Allamah al-Haythami says:) I say:
Abu Dawud recorded this narration in abridged form.
Ahmad recorded this narration with two chains, and the narrators of one of them are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Khalid bin Urfutah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Khalid! Soon after me there will be new events, tribulations and disputes. If you are able, be the slain servant of Allah, and do not be the killer."
Ahmad, al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains Ali bin Zayd, in whom there is weakness, and he is hasan al-hadith (fair in hadith). The remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

A man from the tribe of Abd al-Qays, who had previously been with the Khawarij and then separated from them, narrates: Those people entered a village, and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him) came out in a state of alarm, dragging his cloak. The people said: "Do not be alarmed." He said: "By Allah! You people have alarmed me." The people said: "Are you Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), the son of Sayyiduna Khabbab (may Allah be pleased with him), the Companion of the Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "Yes!" The people asked: "Have you heard your father narrate any hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which you could narrate to us?" He replied: "Yes, I heard him narrate this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), mentioning a tribulation, said: 'In it the one sitting will be better than the one standing, the one standing in it will be better than the one walking, and the one walking in it will be better than the one running.'" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also said: "If you encounter that situation, be the slain servant" - the narrator says: I think the words in the narration are - "and do not be the killing servant of Allah." The people asked: "Did you yourself hear your father narrate this hadith from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" He replied: "Yes!" The narrator says: Then those people brought him forward to the bank of the river and struck off his head. His blood flowed like a shoelace. Then those people also slaughtered his umm walad and killed the child that was in her womb. In one narration the words are: The word "ma ibdhaqarra" means it did not disperse; and in it are his words: "Do not be the killing servant of Allah," and these words are without any doubt.
Ahmad, Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani recorded this narration. At its beginning are these words: "When the people fell into disputes, I joined a people than whom no people were more beloved to me. We were walking along the bank of a river when a mosque appeared before us, and in it was a man. When he saw the forelocks of the horses, he came out in a state of alarm, dragging his garment. Our commander said to him: 'Do not be alarmed!'" At the end of this narration are these words: "I have never been with a people more hateful to me than these people, until, when I found an opportunity, I slipped away from there." (The author says:) I do not know the man who belonged to the tribe of Abd al-Qays (and who is the narrator of this narration); the remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Jundub bin Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon after me there will be tribulations like pieces of a dark night. In them a man will be a believer in the morning and will have become a disbeliever by the evening." A man from among the Muslims submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What should we do at that time?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Enter your houses and keep yourselves hidden." A man submitted: "What is your view if someone enters the house of one of us?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Let that (householder) restrain his hand and become the slain servant of Allah; let him not become the killing servant of Allah. For a man is within the dome of Islam, then he consumes his brother's wealth, sheds his blood, disobeys his Lord and disbelieves in his Creator, and Hell becomes obligatory for him."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration; its chain contains Shahr bin Hawshab and Abd al-Hamid bin Bahram; both of them have been declared trustworthy, and there is weakness in both of them.

Sayyiduna Abu Waqid al-Laythi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once we were sitting on a mat when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be tribulations." The people submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What should we do then?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stretched out his blessed hand towards the mat, took hold of it and said: "Do like this." One day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned before the people that soon there would be tribulations, and many people did not hear it. Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said (to those people): "Do you not hear what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is saying?" The people asked: "What has he (peace and blessings be upon him) said?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be tribulations." The people submitted: "O Messenger of Allah! What will become of us then? And what should we do?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Return to your first state of affairs."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Abdullah bin Salih, who has been declared trustworthy, and there is weakness in him. The remaining narrators of this narration are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Mukhawwal al-Bahzi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: Once in the evening the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was talking with us, and he said: "Soon a time will come upon people in which the best of people's wealth will be goats that are among trees; they will eat the leaves of the trees and reach the water. Their owners will eat their meat, drink their milk and make clothing from their hair" (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) "make clothing from their wool. And at that time tribulations will be roaming about in the dwelling places of the Arabs, and people will be put to trial. By Allah! People will be put to trial. By Allah! People will be put to trial. By Allah!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this three times.
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Sulayman bin Dawud al-Shadhakuni, who is matruk (abandoned). (Allamah al-Haythami says:) A long hadith is mentioned from Sayyiduna Mukhawwal (may Allah be pleased with him) which I mentioned later through forgetfulness; it should have been written here. It will come in the chapter on what one should do in times of tribulation.

Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "Soon after me there will come tribulations in which a man will be a believer in the morning and will have become a disbeliever by the evening, or be a believer in the evening and will have become a disbeliever by the morning." I submitted: "May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! (At that time) which person will be the most sensible (or rightly guided)?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man who lives with little between these two Sanctuaries (that is, the two Holy Sanctuaries), establishing the prayer at its appointed times, performing Hajj and Umrah, and he continues like this until a sinful hand (that is, the hand of a killer) or a natural death comes to him."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains narrators whom I do not know.

Sayyiduna Abu al-Ghadiyah al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be great and severe tribulations. During them the best of people will be the Muslims who live in the wilderness, who will not shed people's blood and will not harm their wealth."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains Hayyan bin Hajar, whom I do not know, and the remaining narrators of this narration are thiqat (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Amr bin al-Hamiq (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Soon there will be a tribulation; in it the safest of people (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) the best of people in it will be the western army." Sayyiduna Amr bin al-Hamiq (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "It is for this reason that I have come to you people in Egypt."
Al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir and al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains Amirah bin Abdullah, about whom al-Dhahabi said: It is not known who he is.