Trials and Fierce Battles (Kitab Al-Fitan Wa Al-Malahim)

كتاب الفتن والملاحم

Chapter 2: The Prohibition Of Participating In The Tribulation

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud ; Khuraym ibn Fatik

The tradition mentioned above (No. 4243) has also been transmitted by Ibn Mas'ud through a different chain of narrators.

Ibn Mas'ud said: I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say: He then mentioned a portion of the tradition narrated by AbuBakrah (No. 4243).

This version adds: He (the Prophet) said: All their slain will go to Hell. I (Wabisah) asked: When will this happen Ibn Mas'ud?

He replied: This is the period of turmoil (harj) when a man will not be safe from his associates.

I asked: What do you command me (to do) if I happen to live during that period? He replied: You should restrain your tongue and hand and stay at home.

When Uthman was slain, I recollected this tradition. I then rode (on a camel) and came to Damascus. There I met Khuraym ibn Fatik and mentioned this tradition to him. He swore by Allah, there was no god but He, he had heard it from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), as Ibn Mas'ud transmitted it to me (Wabisah).

Narrated Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad

I swear by Allah, I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: The happy man is he who avoids dissensions: happy is the man who avoids dissensions; happy is the man who avoids dissensions: but how fine is the man who is afflicted and shows endurance.

Chapter 3: Regarding Restraining The Tongue

Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-'As

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: There will be civil strife which wipe out the Arabs, and their slain will go to Hell. During it the tongue will be more severe than blows of the sword.

Abu Dawud said: Al-Thawri transmitted it from Laith, from Tawus on the authority of Al-A'jam.

Chapter 6: Regarding The Gravity Of Killing A Believer

Narrated AbudDarda' and Ubadah ibn as-Samit

Khalid ibn Dihqan said: When we were engaged in the battle of Constantinople at Dhuluqiyyah, a man of the people of Palestine, who was one of their nobility and elite and whose rank was known to them, came forward. He was called Hani ibn Kulthum ibn Sharik al-Kinani. He greeted Abdullah ibn Zakariyya who knew his rank.

Khalid said to us: Abdullah ibn AbuZakariyya told us: I heard Umm ad-Darda' say: I heard AbudDarda' say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: It is hoped that Allah may forgive every sin, except in the case of one who dies a polytheist, or one who purposely kills a believer.

Hani ibn Kulthum ar-Rabi' then said: I heard Mahmud ibn ar-Rabi' transmitting a tradition from Ubadah ibn as-Samit who transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who said: If a man kills a believer unjustly, Allah will not accept any action or duty of his, obligatory or supererogatory.

Khalid then said to us: Ibn AbuZakariyya transmitted a tradition to us from Umm ad-Darda' on the authority of AbudDarda' from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) who said: A believer will continue to go on quickly and well so long as he does not shed unlawful blood; when he sheds unlawful blood, he becomes slow and heavy-footed.

A similar tradition has been transmitted by Hani ibn Kulthum from Mahmud ibn ar-Rabi' on the authority of Ubadah ibn as-Samit from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Sa'id bin Jubair said

I asked Ibn 'Abbas (about the verse relating to intentional homicide in Surat An-Nisa') He said: When the verse "Those who invoke not with Allah any other god, nor slay such life as Allah had made sacred, except for just cause" was revealed, the polytheists of Mecca said: We have killed the soul prohibited by Allah, invoked another god along with Allah for worship, and committed shameful deeds. So Allah revealed the verse "unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good." This is meant for them. As regards the verse "if a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell" He said: If a man knows the command of Islam and intentionally kills a believer, his repentance wil not be accepted. I then mentioned it to Mujahid. He said: "Except the one who is ashamed (of his sin)."

Chapter 1: Mention Of Tribulations And Their Signs

Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar

When we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he talked about periods of trial (fitnahs), mentioning many of them.

When he mentioned the one when people should stay in their houses, some asked him: Messenger of Allah, what is the trial (fitnah) of staying at home?

He replied: It will be flight and plunder. Then will come a test which is pleasant. Its murkiness is due to the fact that it is produced by a man from the people of my house, who will assert that he belongs to me, whereas he does not, for my friends are only the God-fearing. Then the people will unite under a man who will be like a hip-bone on a rib. Then there will be the little black trial which will leave none of this community without giving him a slap, and when people say that it is finished, it will be extended. During it a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, so that the people will be in two camps: the camp of faith which will contain no hypocrisy, and the camp of hypocrisy which will contain no faith. When that happens, expect the Antichrist (Dajjal) that day or the next.

The traditions mentioned above has also been transmitted by Khalid b. Khalid al-Yashkuri through different chain of narrators. This version has

The word aqdha' (sing. qadhan) means specks, hudnah means truce and dakhan means malice.

Narrated Hudhayfah

The tradition mentioned above (No. 4232) has also been transmitted through a different chain of narrators by Nasr ibn Asim al-Laythi who said: We came to al-Yashkuri with a group of the people of Banu Layth.

He asked: Who are these people? We replied: Banu Layth. We have come to you to ask you about the tradition of Hudhayfah. He then mentioned the tradition and said: I asked: Messenger of Allah, will there be evil after this good?

He replied: There will be trial (fitnah) and evil. I asked: Messenger of Allah, will there be good after this evil? He replied: Learn the Book of Allah, Hudhayfah, and adhere to its contents. He said it three times.

I asked: Messenger of Allah, will there be good after this evil? He replied: An illusory truce and a community with specks in its eye. I asked: Messenger of Allah, what do you mean by an illusory community?

He replied: The hearts of the people will not return to their former condition. I asked: Messenger of Allah, will there be evil after this good? He replied: There will be wrong belief which will blind and deafen men to the truth in which there will be summoners at the gates of Hell. If you, Hudhayfah, die adhering to a stump, it will be better for you than following any of them.

Narrated Thawban

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Allah, the Exalted, folded for me the earth, or he said (the narrator is doubtful): My Lord folded for me the earth, so much so that I saw its easts and wests (i.e. the extremities). The kingdom of my community will reach as far as the earth was floded for me. The two treasures, the red and the white, were bestowed on me. I prayed to my Lord that He may not destroy my community by prevailing famine, and not give their control to an enemy who annihilates then en masse except from among themselves. My Lord said to me: Muhammad, If I make a decision, it is not withdrawn ; and I shall not destroy them by prevailing famine, and I shall not give their control to an enemy, except from among themselves, who exterminates them en masse, even if they are stormed from all sides of the earth ; only a section of them will destroy another section, and a section will captive another section. I am afraid about my community of those leaders who will lead astray. When the sword is used among my people, it will not be withdrawn from them till the Day of Resurrection, and the Last Hour will not come before the tribes of my people attach themselves to the polytheists and tribes of my people worship idols. There will be among my people thirty great liars each of them asserting that he is (Allah's) prophet, where as I am the seal of the Prophet s after whom (me) there will be no prophet ; and a section of my people will continue to hold to the truth - (according to the Ibn Isa's version: (will continue to dominate) - the agreed version goes: "and will not be injured by those who oppose them, till Allah's command comes."

Chapter 2: The Prohibition Of Participating In The Tribulation

Narrated AbuBakrah

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: There will be a period of commotion in which the one who lies down will be better than the one who sits, and the one who sits is better than the one who stands, and the one who stands is better than the one who walks, and the one who walks is better than the one who runs (to it).

He asked: What do you command me to do, Messenger of Allah? He replied: He who has camels should remain with his camels, he who has sheep should remain with his sheep, and he who has land should remain with his land.

He asked: If anyone has more of these, (what should he do)?

He replied: He should take his sword, strike its edge on a stone, and then escape if he can.

Narrated AbuMusa al-Ash'ari

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Before the Last Hour there will be commotions like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, or a believer in the evening and infidel in the morning. He who sits during them will be better than he who gets up and he who walks during them is better than he who runs. So break your bows, cut your bowstrings and strike your swords on stones. If people then come in to one of you, let him be like the better of Adam's two sons.

Narrated AbuDharr

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to me: O AbuDharr. I replied: At thy service and at thy pleasure, Messenger of Allah. He then mentioned the tradition in which he said: What will you do when there the death of the people (in Medina) and a house will reach the value of a slave (that is, a grave will be sold for a slave).

I replied: Allah and His Apostle know best. Or he said: What Allah and His Apostle choose for me.

He said: You must show endurance. Or he said; you may endure. He then said to me: What will you do, AbuDharr, when you see the Ahjar az-Zayt covered with blood?

I replied: What Allah and His Apostle choose for me.

He said: You must go to those who are like-minded.

I asked: Should I not take my sword and put it on my shoulder? He replied: you would then associate yourself with the people. I then asked: What do you order me to do? You must stay at home. I asked: (What should I do) if people enter my house and find me?

He replied: If you are afraid the gleam of the sword may dazzle you, put the end of your garment over your face in order that (the one who kills you) may bear the punishment of your sins and his.

Abu Dawud said: No one mentioned al-Mush'ath in the chain of this tradition except Hammad b. Zaid.

Narrated AbuMusa al-Ash'ari

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Before you there will be commotions like pieces of a dark night in which a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening. He who sits during them will be better than he who gets up, and he who gets up during them is better than he who walks, and he who walks during them is better than he who runs. They (the people) said: What do you order us to do? He replied: Keep to your houses.

Chapter 4: The Concession Allowing Living As A Bedouin During The Tribulation

Narrated Abu Sa’id Al Khudri

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: A Muslim's best property will soon be sheep which he will take to the tops of the mountains and the places where the rain falls, fleeing with his religion from the civil strife (fitan).

Chapter 5: The Prohibition From Fighting During The Tribulation

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted briefly by al-Hasan through a different chain of narrators to the same effect.

Chapter 6: Regarding The Gravity Of Killing A Believer

Khalid b. Dihqan said

Abu Dawud said: And he said: The word fa'tabata means "he shed blood profusely"

About the verse "If a man kills a believer intentionally" Abu Mijlaz said

This is his recompense. If Allah wishes to disregard him, He may do do.

Chapter 7: Hope Of Forgiveness For Murder

Narrated Sa'id ibn Zayd

We were with the Prophet (ﷺ). He mentioned civil strife (fitnah) and expressed its gravity. We or the people said: Messenger of Allah, if this happens to us it will destroy us. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said; No. It is enough for you that you would be killed. Sa'id said: I saw that my brethren were killed.

Chapter 6: Regarding The Gravity Of Killing A Believer

Ibn 'Abbas said

No other verse has repealed the verse "If a man kills a believer intentionally"

Chapter 7: Hope Of Forgiveness For Murder

Narrated AbuMusa

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: This people of mine is one to which mercy is shown. It will have no punishment in the next world, but its punishment in this world will be trials, earthquakes and being killed.