Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Ka'b said that for every era, kings are appointed. When Allah Almighty intends good for a people, He sends among them someone who reforms them, and when He intends evil for a people, He appoints pleasure-seeking people as their kings.

Zadhan reports from Alim that we were with him on the roof, and a companion was also with him. During the days of the plague, funeral processions began to pass by us, so he said: Did not the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say that none of you should wish for death, for death causes deeds to cease, and a person is not returned so that he may please Allah? Then he said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: You will hasten to seek death because of six things: because of the rule of fools, the increase of the king’s special soldiers, the selling of judgments, the cheapening of blood, and because of young boys who make the Qur’an into flutes, whom people will put forward in prayer so that they may listen to the Qur’an in a singing manner, even though they are the least in understanding among them.

It is narrated from Hasan that Allah appoints a king only for the help of His servants and for His religion. What will be the state of the one who oppresses Allah’s servants and makes them his slaves, and then that king decides over people’s lives and wealth as he wishes? By Allah, no one even forbids him. By Allah, I have never seen a trial after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that the Ummah has faced, greater than the trial and humiliation it faced after him.

It is narrated from Hammam: A man from among the People of the Book came to the service of Hazrat Umar and said, "Peace be upon you, O King of the Arabs." Hazrat Umar replied, "Do you find it written like this in your book? Do you not find it written that first there will be a Prophet, then a Caliph, then Ameer-ul-Momineen, and after that, there will be a king?" The man from the People of the Book said, "It is exactly so."

It is narrated from Abdullah that he mentioned a person, then he said that greed destroyed him and inner evils destroyed him.

It is narrated from Abu Burdah bin Niyar that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: The world will not come to an end until it reaches a person who is himself ignoble and whose father is also ignoble (that is, such a degraded person who is not worthy of precedence, who has neither any lineage nor any connection with the knowledge of jurisprudence).

Sa’d bin Ibrahim narrates that he heard from his father, who said: I saw Abdur Rahman bin Auf in the month of May 8, in such a state that his head was shaved and he was weeping, saying: I do not fear that I will remain alive until the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman.

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Amr: We have seen in the Book of Allah, the Lord of Might, two types of people in the Fire. One is a people who will be in the last era; they will have whips like the tails of cows, with which they will beat people without any crime. They will only put wicked things (such as bribes, etc.) into their bellies. The second type is those women who do not wear clothes, are naked, are inclined (towards men) and make others inclined (towards themselves). They will not enter Paradise, nor will they smell the fragrance of Paradise.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abbas that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Soon there will be such rulers among you whom you will recognize and upon whom you will object. Whoever fights against them will attain salvation, and whoever joins them will be destroyed.

It is narrated from Nu'man bin Bashir that when it was suggested to send police officers to remove corruption from the land, Ka'b al-Ahbar said: "Wait, do not do this, because it is in the Book of Allah that there will be a people called 'Amlah' (police and the like). In their hands will be whips like the tails of cows; they will not even smell the fragrance of Paradise. So do not be the first to send them." Nu'man says they did exactly that. The narrator says: I asked Yahya, "Who are the 'Amlah'?" He replied, "In Iraq, you call them 'Shurti' (policeman)."

It is narrated from Khalifa bin Saad that I saw Hazrat Uthman walking on one of the streets of Madinah, and he was saying: "Continue to enjoin good and forbid evil before your wicked people are set over you. Then your best people will pray against them, but their prayers will not be accepted. Then hardship will weigh heavily upon them, and they will be seized by their arms." Then he said: "I will not die until I am overtaken by the leadership of young boys."

It is narrated from Shaddad bin Abi Ammar that Awf bin Malik said, "O plague, take me towards yourself as well." People said, "Did you not hear the saying of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, that the longer a Muslim lives, the more it is a source of goodness for him?" He replied, "Why not, but I fear six things: the leadership of fools, the selling of judgments, the shedding of blood, severing of kinship ties, the abundance of police, and such an incident that people make the Qur'an like a flute."

It is narrated from Umar bin Khattab that he said: Leave those flat-faced people who have left you. By Allah, I wish there were such a sea between us and them that could not be crossed.

It is narrated from Abdul Malik ibn Abi Sulaiman, he says: I asked Abu Ja'far, "Will there be disbelief (kufr) in this ummah?" He replied, "I do not think there will be disbelief or polytheism (shirk)." So I asked, "Then what will there be?" He said, "Rebellion."

It is narrated from Abu Huraira who says: A tribulation will arise from which nothing will grant salvation except supplication, like the supplication of a drowning person.

It is narrated from Abu Umamah that the Hour will not be established until the wicked people of Syria move to Iraq and the good people of Iraq move to Syria.

It is narrated from Abu Huraira, he says: Destruction is for the Arabs because of the evil that has come near, that is, the leadership of children. If people obey them, they will lead them into Hell, and if they disobey them, they will strike their necks.

It is narrated from Muhammad that we used to say that there will be severe apostasy in Arabia to the extent that some of the Arabs will begin to worship idols at Dhi al-Khalasah.

It is narrated from Abu Ishaq, he says that the person who used to visit Ibn Muljam in prison told me that he had become black like a burnt trunk.

It is narrated from Abu Jald that one tribulation will arise after another. The first will be for the second like the blade of a sword behind the lower part of a whip. Then after that, such a tribulation will arise in which all forbidden things will be considered lawful. Then the caliphate of the best man on earth will be established, then he will sit in his house with comfort.

It is narrated from Abu Umamah that a man's name will be called out from the sky; the humble person will not deny it, and the dominant and powerful will not prevent it.

It is narrated from Abu Uthman Nahdi that Hudhaifah bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) said: During that time, while people will be talking, a lost camel will pass by them. The people will ask, "O camel, where are your owners?" It will reply, "My people were gathered at the time of forenoon."