Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Abd Rab al-Ka'bah narrates that I went to Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both). He was sitting in the shade of the Ka'bah and people were gathered around him. I heard him say that on a journey we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). When we camped at a place, some of us started pitching tents, some began competing in archery, and some were engaged in looking after their livestock. Suddenly, the caller of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) announced, "As-Salat Jami'ah (the prayer is about to begin, gather together)." So we gathered, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up and delivered a sermon to us and said: "Indeed, there has never been a prophet before me except that it was a duty upon him from Allah to guide his ummah to that which he knew was good for them and to warn them against that which he knew was bad for them. Surely, the well-being of this ummah is in its first part, and its latter part will soon be afflicted with trials and matters which you will dislike. At that time, a trial will come, and the believer will say, 'This will destroy me,' then it will pass. Then another trial will come, and the believer will say, 'This will destroy me,' then it will pass. So whoever among you wishes to be saved from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, let his death come to him while he believes in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people as he would love to be treated by them. And whoever gives the pledge of allegiance to an imam, giving him the grasp of his hand and the sincerity of his heart, then let him obey him as much as he can. If another comes to dispute with him, then strike the neck of the latter." The narrator says: I put my head among the people and said, "I ask you by Allah, did you hear this hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?" The narrator says: He pointed with both his hands to his ears and said, "My ears heard it and my heart remembered it." The narrator says: I said, "Your cousin commands us to unjustly consume our wealth and to kill ourselves, even though Allah Almighty has said: 'Do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, nor take (cases) to the authorities so that you may consume a portion of the wealth of others sinfully while you know (the truth)' (to the end of the verse)." The narrator says: Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr joined both his hands and placed them on his forehead, then bowed his head for a while, then said: "Obey him in obedience to Allah Almighty, and disobey him in disobedience to Allah Almighty."

Abdullah bin Amr narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) a narration similar to the above (mentioned narration), but Waki’ narrated it as follows: And soon the latter part of this Ummah will be afflicted with calamities and tribulations, in which they will weaken one another. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Whoever wishes that he be saved from the Fire and admitted to Paradise, then let death come to him... Then Waki’ narrated the rest of the narration similar to the one above.

Abu Bakrah narrates from the presence of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Surely, soon there will be a tribulation in which the one lying down will be better than the one sitting, and the one sitting will be better than the one standing, and the one standing will be better than the one walking, and the one walking will be better than the one striving in it. A man asked, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what do you command me?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Whoever has camels should go to his camels, and whoever has goats should go to his goats, and whoever has land should go to his land, and whoever has none of these things should take his sword, strike its edge on a stone, and then he may find salvation.

It is narrated from Hazrat Sa’d that he says: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: There will be a tribulation in which the one who sits will be better than the one who stands, and the one who stands will be better than the one who strives in it, and the one who strives in it will be better than the one who hastens in it.

Hazrat Khalid bin Sabee’ or Sabee’ bin Khalid says: I came to Kufa and drove cattle from there, and I was in its mosque when suddenly a person came and people gathered around him. I asked, “Who is he?” People said, “This is Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) bin Yaman.” The narrator says: I sat with him, and he said: People used to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask him about evil. Hazrat Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) bin Yaman said: I asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what is the way to avoid this evil?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The sword.” I asked, “O Messenger of Allah, tell me, was there evil before this good in which we are, and will there be evil after it?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Yes.” I asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), will anything remain after the sword?” He said: “Yes, reconciliation.” I said, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what will happen after reconciliation?” He said: “Callers to misguidance. So if you see a caliph, then stay with him even if he strikes your back and takes your wealth. And if there is no caliph, then run away until death comes to you while you are eating from trees.” The narrator says: I asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what will happen after that?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The emergence of Dajjal.” I asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what will Dajjal bring?” He said: “He will bring fire and torment. Whoever falls into his fire, his reward will be lost and sin will be upon him.” I asked, “O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what will happen after Dajjal?” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If any one of you has a foal, he will not ride on its back until the Day of Resurrection is established.”

Hazrat Yashkari narrates: I heard Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that people used to ask the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask him about evil, and I had realized that good would never increase because of me. The narrator says: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, will there be evil after this good?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him), learn the Book of Allah and follow the commands contained in it," three times (he said this). The narrator says: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, will there be good after this evil?" He replied: "O Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him), learn the Book of Allah and follow what is in it," three times he said this. I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, will there be evil after this good?" He replied: "There will be a blind and deaf tribulation; there will be callers at the gates of Hell who will persist upon it. O Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him), if death comes to you in a state where you are eating the trunk of a tree, that is better than following any one of them."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr narrates: We were around the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he mentioned tribulations, or it was mentioned to him. He says: The Prophet said, "When you see that people's promises are being broken and trusts are being taken lightly, and it becomes like this," and he interlaced his fingers. The narrator says: I stood up towards him and said, "What should I do at that time? May Allah sacrifice me for you." He said: "Adhere to your house, restrain your tongue, take what you know, and leave what you do not know, and it is obligatory upon you to focus on your own self and leave the affairs of the general people."

Hazrat Abu Saeed narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: The 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; he will flee there from the tribulations to protect his religion.

Hazrat Hujayr bin al-Rabi‘ says: Hazrat ‘Imran bin Husayn said to me, “Go to your people and stop them from hastening in this matter.” I said, “I am appointed among them, but I am not their leader.” Hazrat ‘Imran bin Husayn said, “Convey this message from me to them: If I were an Abyssinian slave, defective, herding sheep on the top of a mountain until death overtook me, this would be more beloved to me than that I shoot an arrow in either of the two ranks, whether I hit the mark or err.”

Hazrat Zaid bin Wahb narrates that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Surely, during tribulations, swords are both drawn and sheathed. Or surely, tribulation both ceases and arises. So if you are able that death comes to you at the time when it ceases, then do so.

Hazrat Ziyad bin Sameen Kosh Al-Yamani narrates from Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr that he said: There will be a tribulation or tribulations that will destroy all the Arabs. The slain of these tribulations will be in the Fire. In these tribulations, the harm done by the tongue (speaking) will be more severe than that done by the sword.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Musa that he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, delivered a sermon and said: Beware! Surely, there will be tribulations before you like pieces of a dark night. In them, a man will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the evening, and a disbeliever in the morning and a believer in the evening. In them, the one sitting will be better than the one standing, and the one standing will be better than the one walking, and the one walking will be better than the one riding. The noble companions asked: What do you command us to do? He said: Become the mats of your houses.

Hazrat Mujahid narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Before the Day of Judgment there will be tribulations like pieces of a dark night. In them, a person will be a believer in the morning and a disbeliever in the evening, and a believer in the evening and a disbeliever in the morning. And people will sell their religion in exchange for worldly goods.

Hazrat Abu Musa narrates from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: Break your bows—he was speaking about tribulations—and cut the strings of your bows, and adhere to the inner parts of your houses, and become like the better of the two sons of Adam among them.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Samit narrates from Hazrat Abu Dharr, who says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: O Abu Dharr, tell me, if people fight to the extent that (the place) Hajaratu’z-Zayt is submerged in blood, what will you do? Hazrat Abu Dharr says: I submitted, Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Enter your house. Hazrat Abu Dharr says: I submitted, should I take up arms? He said: At that time, you will also become a participant. Hazrat Abu Dharr says: I submitted, what should I do, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you fear that the rays of the sun will overpower you, then cover your face with your sheet. He (the attacker) will return with your sin and his own sin. (This means that even if someone comes into your house and attacks you, do not respond; the attacker will return with the burden upon himself.)

Hazrat Abu Musa narrates that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Surely, there will come such days before you in which ignorance will descend and knowledge will be taken away, and "harj" will become widespread. The noble companions asked, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), what is meant by 'harj'?" He replied, "Killing."

Hazrat Yazid bin Al-Asam narrates that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Trials will come upon you like pieces of a dark night. In them, every bold and brave person, every swift rider, and every eloquent and loud-voiced orator will be destroyed."

Hazrat Kurz bin Alqamah Al-Khuza'i narrates: A man asked, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), is there an end for Islam?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Yes, among the Arabs or non-Arabs, whichever household Allah wills good for, He will cause Islam to enter upon them." The man asked, "Then what will happen?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then there will be tribulations that will occur like clouds gathering. You will return like biting snakes among them, striking each other's necks. The black snake raises its head and then pounces upon (its prey) to bite."

Hazrat Urwah narrates from Hazrat Usamah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked towards some of the hills of Madinah and then said, "Do you see what I am seeing? I see tribulations descending upon your houses like the drops of rain."

Hazrat Abu Al-Minhāl Sayyār bin Salāmah narrates: He said that when Ibn Ziyad was expelled, Marwān took control of Shām, Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair took control of Makkah, and the Qurra took control of Basrah. ‘Awf said: Abu Al-Minhāl said, "my father became very sad," and the narrator says that Abu Al-Minhal used to speak well of his father. Abu Al-Minhāl said: My father said to me, "O son! Take us to that man among the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." So we set out towards Hazrat Abu Barzah Aslami on a day of intense heat. He was sitting in a high shade made for him from bamboo. My father began to speak with him, wanting to converse. My father said, "O Abu Barzah! Do you not see? Do you not see?" The first thing he said was, "I am angry with the tribes of Quraysh. Indeed, O tribes of Arabia, you were in that state of scarcity and ignorance that you know. And indeed Allah Almighty elevated you through Islam and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) until you reached the state you now see. And this world is what has caused corruption among you. Indeed, those who are in Shām"—he meant Marwān—"By Allah, he is not fighting except for the world. And indeed, those around you whom you call your Qurra, By Allah, they too are not fighting except for the world." Abu Al-Minhāl the narrator says: When he had not spared anyone, my father said to him, "What is your view?" He replied, "Today, I do not consider anyone better than that group who clings to the earth, whose bellies are empty of people's wealth, whose backs are free from the responsibility of people's blood."

Hazrat Shaqiq narrates from Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: We were sitting with Hazrat Umar when he said, "Who among you remembers the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about tribulations exactly as he said it?" I said, "I do." Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Hazrat Umar said, "Indeed, you are courageous. So how did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say it?" I said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'The tribulation that befalls a man regarding his family, wealth, self, and neighbor will be an expiation for fasting, charity, enjoining good, and forbidding evil.'" Hazrat Umar said, "This is not what I intended. I mean the tribulation which will will be like the waves of the sea." The narrator says: I said, "O Commander of the Faithful, what concern do you have with that? Indeed, between you and it is a closed door." Hazrat Umar said, "Will the door be broken or opened?" The narrator, Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him), said: I said, "No, rather it will be broken." He said, "That (door) is more fitting to be broken than to be closed again." Shaqiq, the narrator, says: We asked Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him), "Did Hazrat Umar know who the door was?" He replied, "Yes, just as I know that morning precedes night. I narrated this hadith to him, not misleading words." The narrator, Hazrat Shaqiq, says: We were afraid to ask Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) who the door was, so we said to Hazrat Masruq, "You ask him." He asked, and Hazrat Hudhaifa replied, "Hazrat Umar."

Hazrat Shaqiq narrates from Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The trial of the whip is more severe than the trial of the sword." His companions asked, "How can this be?" He replied, "Indeed, a man is beaten with a whip until he is made to ride upon wood."

Hazrat Saeed bin Zaid narrates: We were with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he mentioned a tribulation and considered its matter grave. The narrator says: We, or they, said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), if we encounter it, will we be destroyed?" He replied, "Never; killing will be sufficient for you." Hazrat Saeed says: I saw my brothers, all of them were killed.

Hazrat Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that three tribulations will occur, and the fourth tribulation will lead people towards the Dajjal. For them, the first tribulation will strike with a stone that dries up water, the second will throw a hot stone, and the third will spread such darkness that it will surge like the waves of the sea.

Hazrat Yashkari narrates that I heard Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) saying that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There will be a blind and deaf tribulation, whose callers will be calling towards the doors of Hell. O Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him)! It is better for you to die in a state where you are eating the root of a tree than to follow any one of them."

Hazrat Rubayyi' narrates that a man asked Hazrat Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), "What should I do if the worshippers quarrel among themselves?" Hazrat Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "Take refuge in your house." The man said, "If they enter my house as well, then what should I do?" Hazrat Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "Say to them: I will never kill you, because I fear the Lord of all the worlds."

Hazrat Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Fitnah will arise because of three types of people: First, the hardworking and insightful person—whenever anything rises before him, he eliminates it with the sword; and the orator, towards whom all matters of invitation are directed; and the aforementioned noble one. The hardworking and insightful person overcomes this fitnah, while the remaining two—the fitnah seeks them out and whatever they possess, it renders old.

Hazrat Khursha bin Harrar narrates that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "What will be your condition when that (trial) comes to you, pulling its reins, and it will come to you from this side and from that side?" The people said, "By Allah, we do not know." So Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "But by Allah, I know. On that day, you will be like slaves and masters: if the master abuses him, the slave cannot abuse him back, and if he beats him, the slave cannot beat him back."

Hazrat Khursha narrates from Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "What will be your condition at that time when you will sell your religion cheaply, just as that woman sells her private parts who does not prevent anyone from coming to her?" Then the people said, "We do not know." Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "But by Allah, I know. On that day, you will be between the helpless and the wicked." One of the people said, "Will this helpless one be kept away from goodness in comparison to that wicked one?" The narrator says that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) struck his back several times and said, "If he is kept away from goodness, then he is kept away from goodness."

It is narrated from Hazrat Khursha that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the mosque and passed by some people among whom some were teaching the Qur'an to others. So Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: If you are established upon the correct way, then you have surpassed greatly, and if you have abandoned it, then you have gone astray. The narrator says: Then he sat in a circle and said: Indeed, we believed before we learned to recite the Qur'an, and in the future, some people will recite the Qur'an before believing. One of the people said: Will this be a trial (fitnah)? He replied: Yes, it will come to you from the direction that will grieve you, and then it will continue to come like a rash (slowly and persistently). Indeed, a man will turn away from it and command two things: one of them is humility, and the other is immorality and wickedness. Hazrat Khursha says: Not long after this, I saw a man who had taken up his sword and was chasing after people.

It is narrated from Hazrat Zaid bin Wahb that he says: Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked about the intervals and outbreaks of tribulations. Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: By the outbreaks of tribulations is meant the unsheathing of swords, and by their intervals is meant the sheathing of swords.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Tufail Amir bin Wathila that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "What will be your condition when there will be a tribulation in which the best among the people will be a hidden, wealthy man?" Hazrat Amir bin Wathila said: "I asked, how will that be?" He replied: "Indeed, it is a gift from one of us, which he puts in the place where it is to be placed and throws in the place where it is to be thrown." And he said: "At that time, become like a one-year-old she-camel, which can neither be used for riding nor for milking."

Hazrat Abdullah bin Rawaha narrates from Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "There will be a tribulation which will come casting doubts and will return spreading stench. So if this happens, then cling to the earth as a shepherd clings to his staff behind his goats, so that the flood does not sweep you away."

It is narrated from Maymun bin Abu Shabib that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked, "Did the Children of Israel commit disbelief in a single day?" He replied, "No, but a trial would be presented to them and they would refuse to adopt it, so they would be forced into it. Then the trial would be presented to them, and they would refuse to adopt it, until they were beaten with whips and swords to make them adopt it, until they plunged into that trial just as one plunges into water, to the extent that they no longer recognized any good nor rejected any evil."

It is narrated from Hazrat Rabi’ bin Hirash that he says: I heard a man at the funeral of Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) saying, “I heard the one on this bier saying: I do not care since I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: If you fight among yourselves, I will enter my house, and if anyone enters my house, I will say: Take the burden of my sin and your own sin and return.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Sa’d that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Whoever separates himself from the congregation (of Muslims) even by a span, he has separated himself from Islam.

It is narrated from Hammad that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Surely, a time will come upon the people in which none will be saved except the one who supplicates like a drowning person.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Ammar that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Surely, a time will come upon the people in which none will attain salvation except the one who supplicates like a drowning person.

Hazrat Abu Ammar narrates from Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: By Allah, a person will be able to see in the morning, but by evening he will not have the ability to see even the edge of anything.

Hazrat Zaid narrates that Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) recited this verse { فَقَاتِلُوا أَئِمَّۃَ الْکُفْرِ } (i.e., kill the leaders of disbelief), then said that after this verse, people were not fought in its context.