This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Hafiz Mubashir Hussain Lahori's book Signs of the Day of Judgment in the Light of Authentic Hadith.
Sign of the Day of Judgment: There will be a massacre:
وعن عبد الله رضى الله عنه وأبي موسى رضى الله عنه قالا قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : بين يدي الساعة أيام يرفع فيها العلم وينزل فيها الجهل ويكثر فيها الهرج والهرج القتل
It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Before the Day of Judgment, there will come days in which knowledge will be taken away, ignorance will be widespread, and there will be abundant killing and bloodshed.
Reference: (Bukhari: Book of Tribulations: Chapter on the Appearance of Tribulations: 7062, Muslim: 2972, Ahmad: 387/1, Tirmidhi: 2200, Ibn Majah: 4100)
وعن أبى هريرة رضى الله عنه قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : والذي نفسي بيده لا تذهب الدنيا حتى يأتى على الناس يوم لا يدري القاتل فيم قتل ولا المقتول فيم قتل ؟ فقيل : كيف يكون ذلك ؟ قال : الهرج ، القاتل والمقتول فى النار
It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: By the One in Whose hand is my soul, the world will not end until people see a day when the killer will not know why he killed, and the one killed will not know why he was killed. It was asked, how will this be possible? He (peace be upon him) said: Bloodshed in which both the killer and the killed will be in Hell.
Reference: (Muslim: Book of Tribulations: Chapter "The Hour will not be established until a man passes by the grave of another man": 2908)
Hazrat Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Before the Day of Judgment, there will be much bloodshed. The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: We kill seventy thousand in a year, will there be even more killing than this? He (peace be upon him) said: That will not be your killing of the polytheists, but you will kill each other. The companions asked: Will we be in our right senses at that time? He said: On that day, people's intellects will be taken away and they will think they are on something (truth) while they are not. Hazrat Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) says that we can only be saved from this trial if we do not lay a hand on anyone's blood or property.
In one narration, it is added that a man will not hesitate to kill his neighbor, his brother, his uncle, or his nephew.
Reference: (Ahmad: 529, Ibn Majah: 4007, Sharh al-Sunnah: 68/15, Ibn Abi Shaybah: 632/8, Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah: 248/4)
Hazrat Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: The punishment of the Hereafter has been forgiven for my Ummah, but they will be punished in this world with killing and fighting, calamities and afflictions, and earthquakes.
Reference: (Ahmad: 410/4, Sahih al-Jami' al-Saghir: 104/2)
Hazrat Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Indeed, I asked my Lord: O Lord! Do not destroy my Ummah altogether by famine, and do not impose upon them a non-Muslim enemy who will completely uproot their centrality. Allah the Exalted said: O Muhammad (peace be upon him)! There can be no change in My decrees. I have accepted your prayer for your own Ummah that I will not destroy them by famine, nor will I impose upon them a non-Muslim enemy who will uproot their roots, even if flies attack them. However, they will kill and plunder each other and take one another captive.
Reference: (Muslim: Book of Tribulations: Chapter "The destruction of this Ummah by some of them": 7258)
The Martyrdom of Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him:
عن أبى موسى الأشعري رضى الله عنه قال خرج النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم إلى حائط من حوائط المدينة لحاجته وخرجت فى إثره ، فلما دخل الحائط جلست على بابه وقلت : لأكونن اليوم بواب النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم ولم يأمرني ، فذهب النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وقضى حاجته وجلس على قف البئر فكشف عن ساقيه ودلاهما فى البئر ، فجاء أبو بكر رضى الله عنه يستأذن عليه ليدخل ، فقلت : كما أنت حتى أستأذن لك ، فوقف فجئت إلى النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فقلت : يا نبي الله ! أبو بكر يستأذن عليك فقال : ائذن له وبشره بالجنة ، فدخل فجاء إلى يمين النبى فكشف عن ساقيه ودلاهما فى البئر ، فجاء عمر فقلت : كما أنت حتى أستأذن لك ، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم : ائذن له وبشره بالجنة ، فجاء عن يسار النبى ، ثم جاء عثمان فقلت: كما أنت حتى أستأذن لك ، فقال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم : ائذن له وبشره بالجنة معها بلاء يصيبه
Hazrat Abu Musa (RA) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) went towards one of the gardens in Medina for some need, and I followed behind him. When the Prophet (PBUH) entered the garden, I sat at its gate thinking that today I would be the gatekeeper for the Prophet, although he had not instructed me to do so. The Prophet (PBUH) went inside, and after fulfilling his need, he sat on the edge of the well and hung both his legs into the well. At that moment, Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA) came and asked for permission to enter. I told him to wait a little while I sought permission. So he stood there, and I went to the Prophet (PBUH) and said, "O Prophet of Allah! Abu Bakr (RA) seeks permission to come to you." The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allow him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise." Thus, Abu Bakr (RA) came in and sat on the edge of the well, hanging his legs into the well on the right side of the Prophet (PBUH). Then Hazrat Umar (RA) came, and I went to seek permission for him as well. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allow him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise." So he also entered and sat on the edge of the well, hanging his legs into the well. Now there was no space left on the edge of the well when Hazrat Uthman (RA) arrived. I sought permission for him too, and the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allow him and give him the glad tidings of Paradise, and also inform him of a trial that will befall him."
Reference: (Bukhari: Book of Trials: Chapter on the Trial that Surges Like the Waves of the Sea: 7097, 3695)
عن أنس رضى الله عنه قال : صعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أحدا ومعه أبو بكر وعمر وعثمان فرجف ، فقال : اسكن أحد ، فليس عليك إلا نبي وصديق وشهيدان
Hazrat Anas (RA) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) climbed Mount Uhud accompanied by Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman (RA). Suddenly, Mount Uhud moved. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Uhud! Be still. Upon you stand a Prophet, a Siddiq (truthful one), and two martyrs."
Reference: (Bukhari: 3675)
Benefits:
(1) Hazrat Uthman رضي الله عنه was given the glad tidings of Paradise in this world just as Abu Bakr and Umar رضي الله عنهما were given.
(2) After the Prophet of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه is the best of creation, then Umar رضي الله عنه, and then Uthman رضي الله عنه.
(3) The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم foretold the martyrdom of Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Uthman رضي الله عنهما, which was fulfilled.
(4) A mountain is an inanimate object, but when it is the will of Allah Almighty, even inanimate things can be endowed with intellect, consciousness, and movement; therefore, it is necessary to accept this fact without any interpretation.
(5) The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم predicted the martyrdom of Hazrat Uthman رضي الله عنه along with trials and tribulations, whereas for Hazrat Umar رضي الله عنه only martyrdom was foretold, and indeed this was exactly fulfilled because Hazrat Uthman رضي الله عنه faced many hardships, was subjected to abuse and slander, the people of Egypt and Iraq besieged his house out of ignorance and conspiracy, and after several days of siege, he was brutally martyred.
Reference: (Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya: 170/7 - 190)
(6) The martyrdom of Uthman رضي الله عنه proved to be a spark in the emergence of fitnah (trials), which immediately ignited a great fire of mutual bloodshed among the Muslims.
