Musnad Ahmad

Nasr bin Asim says that once I came to Yashkari with a group of Banu Laith. He asked, "Who are you people?" We replied, "We are from Banu Laith." We inquired about his well-being and he inquired about ours. Then we said, "We have come to you to learn the hadith of Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him)." He said, "Once we were returning with Hazrat Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him). In Kufa, animals had become very expensive. I, along with one of my companions, sought permission from Hazrat Abu Musa. He granted us permission, so we reached Kufa early in the morning. I said to my companion, 'I will be inside the mosque. When the market opens, I will come to you.' I entered the mosque and saw a circle (of people) gathered. It seemed as if their heads had been cut off; they were listening to a man's hadith with great attention. I went and stood near them. Meanwhile, another man came and stood by my side. I asked him, 'Who is this person?' He asked me, 'Are you from Basra?' I said, 'Yes!' He said, 'I already understood that if you were from Kufa, you would not have asked about this person. This is Hazrat Hudhaifa bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him).' I went near him and heard him saying, 'People used to ask the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about good, and I used to ask about evil because I knew that good could not go ahead leaving me behind. One day I submitted in the court of the Messenger, "O Messenger of Allah! Will there be evil after this good?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Hudhaifa! Learn the Book of Allah and follow its commands." (He said this three times.) I repeated my question. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "There will be tribulation and evil." I asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Will there be evil after this good?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said three times, "Hudhaifa! Learn the Book of Allah and follow its commands." I asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Will there be evil after this good?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "There will be reconciliation upon smoke and agreement upon filth." I submitted, "O Messenger of Allah! What is meant by reconciliation upon smoke?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "People will not be pleased with this reconciliation in their hearts." Then the same questions and answers took place between me and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "A tribulation will come that will make one blind and deaf. There will be people appointed who will call towards the doors of Hell. O Hudhaifa! If you die in such a state that you are holding the trunk of a tree with your teeth, it is better than following any one of them."