Afflictions and the End of the World

Asmāʾ reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “I will be at my Basin, waiting for those who come to me. Some people will be taken away from me, and I will say, ‘They are my community!’ It will be said, ‘You do not know; they turned back on their heels.’” Ibn Abī Mulayka said: “O God, we seek refuge in You from turning back on our heels or being put to trial.”

ʿAbd Allāh reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “I will be your forerunner at the Basin. Men from among you will surely be brought to me. When I bend down to hand them water, they will be snatched away from me. I will say, ‘My Lord, they are my Companions!’ He will say, ‘You do not know what they introduced after you.’”

Sahl ibn Saʿd said that he heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: “I will be your forerunner at the Basin. Whoever comes to it will drink from it, and whoever drinks from it will never be thirsty again. Groups of people whom I recognize and who recognize me will come to me, but then a barrier will be placed between me and them.”

Abū Ḥāzim said: “Al-Nuʿmān ibn Abī ʿAyyāsh heard me relating this to them and asked, ‘Did you hear it this way from Sahl?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘I also testify, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, that I heard him add: “They are from me.” It will be said, “You do not know what they changed after you.” I will say, “Away with those who changed things after me! Away with them!”’”

ʿAbd Allāh said that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, said to them: “After me, you will see favoritism and matters that you will disapprove of.” They asked, “What do you command us to do, Messenger of God?” He replied: “Give them what is due to them, and ask God for what is due to you.”

Ibn ʿAbbās reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever dislikes something from his ruler should be patient, for whoever separates from the authority by even a handspan and dies in that state dies a death of pre-Islamic ignorance.”

Ibn ʿAbbās reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Whoever sees something from his ruler that he dislikes should be patient with it. Whoever separates from the community by even a handspan and dies in that state dies a death of pre-Islamic ignorance.”

Junāda ibn Abī Umayya said: “We went in to see ʿUbāda ibn al-Ṣāmit while he was ill and said, ‘May God set you right. Tell us a report you heard from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, through which God may benefit you.’ He said: ‘The Prophet called us, and we pledged allegiance to him. Among the commitments he took from us was that we would pledge to hear and obey, in times of energy and reluctance, in hardship and ease, and even when others were favored over us; that we would not dispute authority with those entrusted with it, unless you see clear, manifest disbelief for which you have proof from God.’”

Anas ibn Mālik reported, on the authority of Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr, that a man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and said, “Messenger of God, you appointed so-and-so but did not appoint me.” He replied: “After me, you will see favoritism. Be patient until you meet me.”

ʿAmr ibn Yaḥyā ibn Saʿīd ibn ʿAmr ibn Saʿīd said: “My grandfather told me: ‘I was sitting with Abū Hurayra in the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and Marwān was with us. Abū Hurayra said, “I heard the truthful one, whose truth was affirmed, say: ‘The destruction of my community will come at the hands of young men from Quraysh.’” Marwān said, “May God’s curse be upon those young men!” Abū Hurayra said, “If I wished, I could name the sons of so-and-so and the sons of so-and-so.” I used to go with my grandfather to the Banū Marwān when they ruled in Syria. Whenever he saw them as young men, he would say to us, “Perhaps these are among them.” We would say, “You know best.”’”

Zaynab bint Jaḥsh said that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, woke from sleep with his face flushed and said: “There is no god but God! Woe to the Arabs because of an evil that has drawn near. Today an opening like this has been made in the barrier of Gog and Magog.” Sufyān formed the number ninety or one hundred with his fingers. It was asked, “Will we be destroyed while righteous people are among us?” He replied: “Yes, when wickedness becomes widespread.”

Usāma ibn Zayd reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stood atop one of Medina’s fortresses and said, “Do you see what I see?” They replied, “No.” He said, “I can see trials falling amid your homes like raindrops.”

Abū Hurayra reported that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Time will draw near, deeds will diminish, miserliness will be cast into people’s hearts, trials will appear, and al-harj will increase.” They asked, “Messenger of God, what is al-harj?” He replied, “Killing, killing.”

Shuʿayb, Yūnus, al-Layth, and Ibn the brother of al-Zuhrī also transmitted it from al-Zuhrī, from Ḥumayd, from Abū Hurayra, from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Shaqīq said: “I was with ʿAbd Allāh and Abū Mūsā, and they both said that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had said: ‘Before the Hour, there will be days in which ignorance descends, knowledge is taken away, and al-harj increases.’ Al-harj means killing.”

Shaqīq said: “ʿAbd Allāh and Abū Mūsā sat together talking. Abū Mūsā said that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had said: ‘Before the Hour, there will be days in which knowledge is taken away, ignorance descends, and al-harj increases.’ Al-harj means killing.”

Abū Wāʾil said: “I was sitting with ʿAbd Allāh and Abū Mūsā, may God be pleased with them both. Abū Mūsā said, ‘I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say the same thing.’” Al-harj means “killing” in the language of the Abyssinians.

Wāṣil reported from Abū Wāʾil, from ʿAbd Allāh—who, I believe, attributed it to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him—that he said: “Before the Hour there will be days of al-harj, when knowledge will disappear and ignorance will become prevalent.” Abū Mūsā said: “Al-harj means killing in the language of the Abyssinians.”

Abū ʿAwāna reported from ʿĀṣim, from Abū Wāʾil, from al-Ashʿarī, that he said to ʿAbd Allāh: “Do you know the days the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned—the days of al-harj?” The report is similar. Ibn Masʿūd said: “I heard the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, say: ‘Among the worst of people are those whom the Hour overtakes while they are still alive.’”

Al-Zubayr ibn ʿAdī said: “We went to Anas ibn Mālik and complained to him about what we were suffering at the hands of al-Ḥajjāj. He said: ‘Be patient. No time will come upon you but that the time after it will be worse than it, until you meet your Lord.’ I heard this from your Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.”