Afflictions and the End of the World
كتاب الفتن
Chapter 6: No time will come but the time following it will be worse than it
(the wife of the Prophet) Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) woke up one night in a state of terror and said, "Subhan Allah, How many treasures Allah has sent down! And how many afflictions have been sent down! Who will go and wake the lady dwellers (wives of the Prophet) up of these rooms (for prayers)?" He meant his wives, so that they might pray. He added, "A well-dressed (soul) in this world may be naked in the Hereafter."
Chapter 7: “Whosoever takes up arms against us, is not from us.”
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Whoever takes up arms against us, is not from us."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Whoever takes up arms against us, is not from us."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "None of you should point out towards his Muslim brother with a weapon, for he does not know, Satan may tempt him to hit him and thus he would fall into a pit of fire (Hell)"
I said to `Amr, "O Abu Muhammad! Did you hear Jabir bin `Abdullah saying, 'A man carrying arrows passed through the mosque and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him, 'Hold the arrows by their heads! "`Amr replied, "Yes."
A man passed through the mosque and he was carrying arrows, the heads of which were exposed (protruding). The man was ordered (by the Prophet) to hold the iron heads so that it might not scratch (injure) any Muslim.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "If anyone of you passed through our mosque or through our market while carrying arrows, he should hold the iron heads," or said, "..... he should hold (their heads) firmly with his hand lest he should injure one of the Muslims with it."
Chapter 8: “Do not renegade as disbelievers after me by striking the neck of one another.”
The Prophet, said, "Abusing a Muslim is Fusuq (evil doing) and killing him is Kufr (disbelief).
I heard the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "Do not revert to disbelief after me by striking (cutting) the necks of one another."
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) addressed the people saying, "Don't you know what is the day today?" They replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better." We thought that he might give that day another name. The Prophet said, "Isn't it the day of An-Nahr?" We replied, "Yes. O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." He then said, "What town is this? Isn't it the forbidden (Sacred) Town (Mecca)?" We replied, "Yes, O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)." He then said, "Your blood, your properties, your honors and your skins (i.e., bodies) are as sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours in this month of yours in this town of yours. (Listen) Haven't I conveyed Allah's message to you?" We replied, "Yes" He said, "O Allah! Be witness (for it). So it is incumbent upon those who are present to convey it (this message of mine) to those who are absent because the informed one might comprehend what I have said better than the present audience who will convey it to him.)" The narrator added: In fact, it was like that. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Beware! Do not renegade as disbelievers after me by striking (cutting) the necks of one another."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Beware! Do not renegade as (disbelievers) after me by striking (cutting) the necks of one another."
The Prophet (ﷺ) said to me during Hajjat-al-Wada`, "Let the people keep quiet and listen." Then he said (addressing the people), "Beware! Do not renegade as disbelievers after me by striking (cutting) the necks of one another."
Chapter 9: There will be Fitnah during which a sitting person will be better than standing one
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will be afflictions (in the near future) during which a sitting person will be better than a standing one, and the standing one will be better than the walking one, and the walking one will be better than the running one, and whoever will expose himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it."
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will be afflictions (in the near future) during which a sitting person will be better than a standing one, and the standing one will be better than a walking one, and the walking one will be better than a running one, and whoever will expose himself to these afflictions, they will destroy him. So whoever can find a place of protection or refuge from them, should take shelter in it."
Chapter 10: If two Muslims meet each other with their swords
(Al-Ahnaf said:) I went out carrying my arms during the nights of the affliction (i.e. the war between `Ali and `Aisha) and Abu Bakra met me and asked, "Where are you going?" I replied, "I intend to help the cousin of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (i.e.,`Ali)." Abu Bakra said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'If two Muslims take out their swords to fight each other, then both of them will be from amongst the people of the Hell- Fire.' It was said to the Prophet, 'It is alright for the killer but what about the killed one?' He replied, 'The killed one had the intention to kill his opponent.'" (See Hadith No. 30, Vol. 1)
Narrated Al-Ahnaf:
Abu Bakra said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said (as above, 204).
Chapter 11: If there is no righteous group of Muslims
The people used to ask Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) about the good but I used to ask him about the evil lest I should be overtaken by them. So I said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! We were living in ignorance and in an (extremely) worst atmosphere, then Allah brought to us this good (i.e., Islam); will there be any evil after this good?" He said, "Yes." I said, 'Will there be any good after that evil?" He replied, "Yes, but it will be tainted (not pure.)'' I asked, "What will be its taint?" He replied, "(There will be) some people who will guide others not according to my tradition? You will approve of some of their deeds and disapprove of some others." I asked, "Will there be any evil after that good?" He replied, "Yes, (there will be) some people calling at the gates of the (Hell) Fire, and whoever will respond to their call, will be thrown by them into the (Hell) Fire." I said, "O Allah s Apostle! Will you describe them to us?" He said, "They will be from our own people and will speak our language." I said, "What do you order me to do if such a state should take place in my life?" He said, "Stick to the group of Muslims and their Imam (ruler)." I said, "If there is neither a group of Muslims nor an Imam (ruler)?" He said, "Then turn away from all those sects even if you were to bite (eat) the roots of a tree till death overtakes you while you are in that state."
Chapter 12: Whoever disliked to increase the number Al-Fitan and oppressions
An army unit was being recruited from the people of Medina and my name was written among them. Then I met `Ikrima, and when I informed him about it, he discouraged me very strongly and said, "Ibn `Abbas told me that there were some Muslims who were with the pagans to increase their number against Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) (and the Muslim army) so arrows (from the Muslim army) would hit one of them and kill him or a Muslim would strike him (with his sword) and kill him. So Allah revealed:-- 'Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (by staying among the disbelievers).' (4.97)
Chapter 13: If a Muslim stays among the bad people
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) related to us, two prophetic narrations one of which I have seen fulfilled and I am waiting for the fulfillment of the other. The Prophet (ﷺ) told us that the virtue of honesty descended in the roots of men's hearts (from Allah) and then they learned it from the Qur'an and then they learned it from the Sunna (the Prophet's traditions). The Prophet (ﷺ) further told us how that honesty will be taken away: He said: "Man will go to sleep during which honesty will be taken away from his heart and only its trace will remain in his heart like the trace of a dark spot; then man will go to sleep, during which honesty will decrease further still, so that its trace will resemble the trace of blister as when an ember is dropped on one's foot which would make it swell, and one would see it swollen but there would be nothing inside. People would be carrying out their trade but hardly will there be a trustworthy person. It will be said, 'in such-and-such tribe there is an honest man,' and later it will be said about some man, 'What a wise, polite and strong man he is!' Though he will not have faith equal even to a mustard seed in his heart." No doubt, there came upon me a time when I did not mind dealing (bargaining) with anyone of you, for if he was a Muslim his Islam would compel him to pay me what is due to me, and if he was a Christian, the Muslim official would compel him to pay me what is due to me, but today I do not deal except with such-and-such person.
Chapter 14: To stay with the Bedouins during Al-Fitnah
That he visited Al-Hajjaj (bin Yusuf). Al-Hajjaj said, "O son of Al-Akwa`! You have turned on your heels (i.e., deserted Islam) by staying (in the desert) with the bedouins." Salama replied, "No, but Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) allowed me to stay with the bedouin in the desert." Narrated Yazid bin Abi Ubaid: When `Uthman bin `Affan was killed (martyred), Salama bin Al-Akwa` went out to a place called Ar- Rabadha and married there and begot children, and he stayed there till a few nights before his death when he came to Medina.
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will come a time when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from the afflictions.