Tribulations

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘The Beast will emerge carrying the seal of Solomon son of David and the staff of Moses son of ‘Imran, peace be upon them. With the staff it will brighten the face of the believer, and with the seal it will mark the nose of the disbeliever, until the people of a dwelling gather together and one says, “O believer,” and another says, “O disbeliever.”’ Abu al-Hasan al-Qattan reported the same meaning through another chain, with one version saying: ‘This one, O believer,’ and ‘this one, O disbeliever.’

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‘Abdullah ibn Buraydah reported from his father: The Messenger of Allah took me to a place in the wilderness near Makkah. It was dry ground surrounded by sand. The Messenger of Allah said, ‘The Beast will emerge from this place.’ It was a finger-span within a handspan. Ibn Buraydah said: Years later, I performed the pilgrimage, and he showed us his staff, which was like my staff, this much and that much.

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Abu Hurayrah reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘The Hour will not come until the sun rises from the west. When it rises and people see it, everyone on earth will believe; but that will be the time when faith will not benefit a person who had not believed before.’

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‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘The first of the signs to emerge will be the sun rising from the west and the Beast coming out among the people at midmorning.’ ‘Abdullah said: ‘Whichever of the two appears first, the other will follow soon after.’ ‘Abdullah added: ‘I think it will be the sun rising from the west.’

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Safwan ibn ‘Assal reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘Toward the place where the sun sets there is an open door, seventy years wide. That door will remain open for repentance until the sun rises from its direction. When it rises from there, faith will not benefit a soul that had not believed before or had not earned good through its faith.’

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Hudhayfah reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘The Dajjal is blind in his left eye and has thick hair. He will have a garden and a fire with him, but his fire is a garden, and his garden is a fire.’

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Abu Bakr al-Siddiq reported that the Messenger of Allah told them: ‘The Dajjal will emerge from a land in the east called Khurasan. People will follow him whose faces are like hammered shields.’

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Al-Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah said: No one asked the Prophet more about the Dajjal than I did. Ibn Numayr’s version says, ‘No one questioned him more insistently than I did.’ He said to me, ‘What are you asking about him?’ I replied, ‘People say that he will have food and drink with him.’ He said, ‘He is too insignificant in Allah’s sight for that.’

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Fatimah bint Qays reported: The Messenger of Allah prayed one day and then ascended the pulpit. Before that, he would ascend it only on Fridays. This unsettled the people; some were standing and some sitting. He gestured to them to sit and said: ‘By Allah, I have not stood here because of anything you desire or fear that would benefit you. Rather, Tamim al-Dari came to me and told me something that, from joy and delight, kept me from my midday rest. I wanted to share your Prophet’s joy with you. A cousin of Tamim al-Dari told me that the wind drove them to an island they did not know. They sat in the ship’s small boats and went out in them. There they saw a black creature with long hair. They asked it, “What are you?” It said, “I am al-Jassasah.” They said, “Tell us.” It replied, “I will neither tell you anything nor ask you anything. But you have seen that monastery; go to it, for there is a man inside eager for you to tell him news and for him to tell you news.” They went to him and entered. There they found an old man tightly bound, showing grief and much distress. He asked them, “Where have you come from?” They said, “From Syria.” He asked, “What has happened among the Arabs?” They said, “We are Arabs. What do you want to know?” He asked, “What has happened to the man who appeared among you?” They replied, “Good. He opposed some people, and Allah gave him victory over them. Now they are united: their god is one and their religion is one.” He asked, “What has happened to the spring of Zughar?” They said, “It is well. They water their crops from it and draw water for themselves.” He asked, “What has happened to the date palms between ‘Amman and Baysan?” They said, “They bear fruit every year.” He asked, “What has happened to Lake Tiberias?” They said, “Its banks overflow because of the abundance of water.” He sighed three times, then said, “If I could free myself from these bonds, I would leave no land without treading it with these two feet of mine, except Taybah; I have no way to reach it.”’ The Prophet said: ‘This is where my joy reaches its end. This is Taybah. By the One in whose hand is my soul, there is no narrow or broad road, no plain or mountain there, without an angel standing over it with his sword drawn, until the Day of Resurrection.’

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Al-Nawwas ibn Sam‘an al-Kilabi reported: One morning the Messenger of Allah spoke of the Dajjal, describing him at times in a way that seemed to diminish him and at times in a way that made him seem formidable, until we thought he was among the palm trees. When we came to the Messenger of Allah in the evening, he saw our concern and asked, ‘What is the matter with you?’ We said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you spoke about the Dajjal this morning, first making him seem slight and then formidable, until we thought he was among the palm trees.’ He said: ‘There are other things I fear for you even more than the Dajjal. If he appears while I am among you, I will argue against him on your behalf. If he appears when I am not among you, then each person must defend himself, and Allah is my successor over every Muslim. He is a young man with tightly curled hair and a prominent eye. I liken him to ‘Abd al-‘Uzza ibn Qatan. Whoever among you sees him should recite the opening verses of Surat al-Kahf over him. He will emerge from a pass between Syria and Iraq and spread corruption to the right and to the left. Servants of Allah, remain firm!’ We asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, how long will he remain on earth?’ He said, ‘Forty days: one day like a year, one day like a month, one day like a week, and the rest of his days like your days.’ We asked, ‘On the day that is like a year, will the prayers of one day suffice us?’ He said, ‘Estimate its length accordingly.’ We asked, ‘How quickly will he travel through the earth?’ He said, ‘Like a rain cloud driven swiftly by the wind.’ He will come to some people and call them; they will answer him and believe in him. He will command the sky to rain, and it will rain; he will command the earth to grow crops, and it will do so. Their grazing livestock will return in the evening with humps taller than ever, udders fuller, and flanks fatter. Then he will come to another people and call them, but they will reject what he says. He will leave them, and by morning they will be in drought, with nothing left in their hands. He will then pass by ruins and say, “Bring forth your treasures!” He will leave, and their treasures will follow him like swarms of bees. Then he will call a young man in the prime of life, strike him once with a sword, and cut him in two, the pieces flying as far apart as an archer’s target. Then he will call him, and the young man will come toward him with a radiant, laughing face. While they are in that state, Allah will send Jesus son of Mary, who will descend by the white minaret east of Damascus, wearing two garments dyed with saffron and placing his hands on the wings of two angels. When he lowers his head, drops fall; when he raises it, beads like pearls roll down. No disbeliever who smells his breath will remain alive; his breath will reach as far as his sight. He will pursue the Dajjal and catch him at the gate of Ludd, then kill him. Jesus, Prophet of Allah, will then come to people whom Allah has protected, wipe their faces, and tell them of their ranks in Paradise. While they are in that state, Allah will reveal to him: “Jesus, I have brought forth servants of Mine whom no one can fight. Take My servants to safety on Mount Tur.” Allah will then send forth Gog and Magog, who will rush down from every height, as Allah says. Their vanguard will pass by Lake Tiberias and drink all its water. When their rear passes by, they will say, “There used to be water here.” Jesus, Prophet of Allah, and his companions will be besieged until a bull’s head becomes dearer to one of them than a hundred dinars would be to one of you today. Jesus and his companions will beseech Allah, and Allah will send a worm into the necks of Gog and Magog; by morning they will all be dead, like the death of a single person. Jesus and his companions will descend and find not a handspan of ground free from their stench, filth, and blood. They will beseech Allah, and He will send birds with necks like those of Bactrian camels to carry them away and cast them wherever Allah wills. Then Allah will send rain that no house of clay or hair can shelter from. It will wash the earth until it is left smooth as a polished stone. Then it will be said to the earth, “Bring forth your fruits and restore your blessing.” A group of people will eat from a single pomegranate and be satisfied, and they will shelter beneath its rind. Allah will bless the milk yield so that one she-camel will suffice for a large group of people, one cow for a tribe, and one ewe for a clan. While they are in that state, Allah will send a pleasant wind that reaches beneath their armpits and takes the soul of every Muslim. The remaining people will copulate openly like donkeys, and the Hour will come upon them.’

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Al-Nawwas ibn Sam‘an reported that the Messenger of Allah said: ‘For seven years, the Muslims will use the bows, arrows, and shields of Gog and Magog as firewood.’

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‘Ali ibn Muhammad narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Muharibi narrated to us, from Isma‘il ibn Rafi‘ Abu Rafi‘, from Abu Zur‘ah al-Saybani, Yahya ibn Abi ‘Amr, from Abu Umamah al-Bahili, who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) addressed us. Most of his address consisted of telling us about the Dajjal and warning us about him. Among the things he said was: “Since Allah brought Adam’s offspring into being, there has been no trial on earth greater than the trial of the Dajjal. Allah has sent no Prophet without his warning his people about the Dajjal. I am the last of the Prophets, and you are the last of the nations. He will certainly emerge among you. If he emerges while I am still among you, I will argue against him on behalf of every Muslim; if he emerges after I am gone, then each person must defend himself, and Allah will be my successor in caring for every Muslim. He will emerge from a pass between Syria and Iraq and will spread corruption to the right and to the left. O servants of Allah, people, stand firm! I will describe him to you in a way no Prophet before me has described him. He will begin by saying, ‘I am a Prophet,’ though there is no Prophet after me. Then he will say, ‘I am your Lord.’ You will not see your Lord until you die. He is one-eyed, whereas your Lord is not one-eyed. The word ‘disbeliever’ is written between his eyes; every believer will read it, whether literate or not. Among his trials is that he will have with him a garden and a fire: his fire will be a garden, and his garden a fire. Whoever is tested by his fire should call upon Allah for help and recite the opening verses of Surat al-Kahf; it will then be coolness and safety for him, as the fire was for Abraham. Among his trials is that he will say to a Bedouin, ‘What do you think? If I brought your father and mother back for you, would you testify that I am your lord?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ Then two devils will appear to him in the forms of his father and mother and say, ‘My son, follow him, for he is your lord.’ Among his trials is that he will be given power over a person, kill him, and saw him apart until he is split in two. Then he will say, ‘Look at this servant of mine. I will bring him back to life now, but then he will claim that he has a lord other than me.’ Allah will bring him back to life, and the accursed one will ask him, ‘Who is your lord?’ He will reply, ‘My Lord is Allah, and you are the enemy of Allah; you are the Dajjal. By Allah, I have never seen through you more clearly than I do today.’”

Abu al-Hasan al-Tanafisi said: Al-Muharibi narrated to us: ‘Ubaydullah ibn al-Walid al-Wassafi narrated to us, from ‘Atiyyah, from Abu Sa‘id, who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “That man will be the highest-ranking member of my community in Paradise.” Abu Sa‘id said: “By Allah, we thought that man could be none other than ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, until he passed away.” Al-Muharibi said: “Then we returned to the report of Abu Rafi‘.”

Among the Dajjal’s trials is that he will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and command the earth to grow crops, and it will do so. He will pass by a clan who reject him, and all their grazing livestock will perish; not one will remain. He will also pass by a clan who believe him. He will command the sky to rain, and it will rain, and the earth to grow crops, and it will do so. Their livestock will return that evening at their largest and fattest, with their flanks stretched out and their udders full of milk. He will tread upon and gain mastery over every part of the earth except Makkah and Madinah. He will approach neither city by any of its mountain passes without meeting angels carrying unsheathed swords. He will stop by the red hill where the salt plain ends. Madinah will then shake with its people three times; every hypocrite, man or woman, will come out to him. Thus it will expel its filth, just as a bellows removes the dross from iron. That day will be called the Day of Deliverance.”

Umm Sharik bint Abi al-‘Akar said: “Messenger of Allah, where will the Arabs be that day?” He replied: “They will be few, and most of them will be in Jerusalem. Their leader will be a righteous man. While their leader has stepped forward to lead them in the dawn prayer, Jesus son of Mary will descend to them at dawn. The leader will step backward, walking in reverse so that Jesus may step forward and lead the people in prayer. Jesus will place his hand between the leader’s shoulders and say, ‘Step forward and lead the prayer, for the call to begin it was made for you.’ Their leader will then lead them in prayer. When he finishes, Jesus, peace be upon him, will say, ‘Open the gate.’ It will be opened, and behind it will be the Dajjal with seventy thousand Jews, each carrying an ornamented sword and wearing a cloak. When the Dajjal sees Jesus, he will melt as salt melts in water and flee. Jesus, peace be upon him, will say, ‘I have a blow for you that you cannot escape.’ He will catch up with him at the eastern gate of Ludd and kill him. Allah will then defeat the Jews. No created thing in which a Jew might hide will remain without Allah making it speak: no stone, tree, wall, or animal—except the gharqad thorn tree, which is one of their trees and will not speak. Each will say, ‘O servant of Allah, Muslim, here is a Jew; come and kill him.’”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “His days will number forty years: a year like half a year, a year like a month, a month like a week, and the final part of his days like sparks of fire. One of you may set out in the morning at one gate of Madinah and not reach its other gate until evening.” They asked: “Messenger of Allah, how should we pray during those short days?” He replied: “Estimate the times of the prayers during them as you estimate them on these long days, then pray.”

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Jesus son of Mary, peace be upon him, will be a just judge and equitable leader among my community. He will break the cross, slaughter swine, abolish the jizyah, and leave charity uncollected; no one will be sent to collect it from sheep or camels. Grudges and mutual hatred will be removed, and the venom of every venomous creature will be taken away. A young boy will put his hand into a snake’s mouth, and it will not harm him; a young girl will make a lion flee, and it will not harm her. The wolf will be among the sheep like their sheepdog. The earth will be filled with peace as a vessel is filled with water. All people will unite under one word, and none will be worshipped but Allah. War will lay down its burdens, and Quraysh will lose its rule. The earth will be like a silver platter, producing vegetation as it did in Adam’s time. A group of people will gather around a bunch of grapes and it will suffice them; a group will gather around a pomegranate and it will suffice them. An ox will be worth such-and-such an amount of money, while a horse will be worth a few dirhams.” They asked: “Messenger of Allah, what will make horses cheap?” He replied: “They will never again be ridden for war.” He was asked: “What will make oxen expensive?” He replied: “All the land will be cultivated. Before the Dajjal emerges, there will be three harsh years in which people suffer severe hunger. In the first year, Allah will command the sky to withhold a third of its rain and the earth to withhold a third of its crops. In the second year, He will command the sky to withhold two-thirds of its rain and the earth to withhold two-thirds of its crops. In the third year, Allah will command the sky to withhold all its rain, so not a drop will fall, and the earth to withhold all its crops, so no green thing will grow. Every cloven-hoofed animal will perish, except those Allah wills to spare.” They asked: “What will sustain people at that time?” He replied: “Proclaiming that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, magnifying Allah, declaring Allah’s perfection, and praising Allah will sustain them as food does.””

Abu ‘Abdullah (Ibn Majah) said: I heard Abu al-Hasan al-Tanafisi say: “I heard ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Muharibi say: ‘This report should be given to every teacher so that he may teach it to the children in the school.’”

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Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah narrated to us, from al-Zuhri, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayrah, from the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: “The Hour will not come until Jesus son of Mary descends as a just judge and equitable leader. He will break the cross, kill swine, abolish the jizyah, and wealth will become so abundant that no one will accept it.”

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Abu Kurayb narrated to us; Yunus ibn Bukayr narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, who said: ‘Asim ibn ‘Umar ibn Qatadah narrated to me, from Mahmud ibn Labid, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Gog and Magog will be released and emerge, as Allah Most High says: ‘They will surge down from every elevation.’ They will overrun the earth, and the Muslims will withdraw from them until the remaining Muslims are in their cities and fortresses, bringing their livestock with them. They will pass by a river and drink from it until they leave nothing in it. The last of them will pass along their tracks, and one of them will say, ‘There was water here once.’ They will gain mastery over the earth, and one of them will say, ‘These are the people of the earth; we have finished with them. Now we will attack the people of heaven!’ One of them will brandish his spear toward the sky; it will come back stained with blood, and they will say, ‘We have killed the people of heaven.’ While they are thus, Allah will send creatures like locust larvae, which will seize them by the necks. They will die like locusts, piled one upon another. In the morning, the Muslims will hear no sound from them. They will say, ‘Who will risk his life and see what has happened to them?’ A man who has prepared himself to be killed by them will go down and find them dead. He will call out, ‘Rejoice! Your enemy has perished.’ The people will then come out and release their livestock. Their only pasture will be the carcasses, yet the animals will thrive on them as well as they ever thrived on vegetation they had found.”

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Azhar ibn Marwan narrated to us; ‘Abd al-A‘la narrated to us; Sa‘id narrated to us, from Qatadah, who said: Abu Rafi‘ narrated to us, from Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Gog and Magog dig every day until, when they are almost able to see the sun’s rays, their leader says, ‘Go back; we will dig it tomorrow.’ Then Allah restores it more solidly than it was. When their appointed time comes and Allah wills to send them against the people, they will dig until they are almost able to see the sun’s rays. Their leader will say, ‘Go back; tomorrow you will dig it, if Allah Most High wills,’ and they will make that exception. They will return to it and find it as it was when they left it. Then they will dig through it and emerge upon the people. They will drain the water, and the people will fortify themselves against them in their fortresses. Gog and Magog will shoot their arrows toward the sky, and they will come back with dried blood on them. They will say, ‘We have subdued the people of the earth and prevailed over the people of heaven.’ Allah will then send larvae into the backs of their necks and kill them with them.” The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “By the One in whose hand is my soul, the beasts of the earth will surely grow fat and thrive on their flesh.”

Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.

Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us; Yazid ibn Harun narrated to us; al-‘Awwam ibn Hawshab narrated to us; Jabalat ibn Suhaym narrated to me, from Mu’thir ibn ‘Afazah, from ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud, who said: On the night the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was taken on the Night Journey, he met Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and they discussed the Hour. They began with Abraham and asked him about it, but he had no knowledge of it. Then they asked Moses, but he had no knowledge of it. The discussion was then referred to Jesus son of Mary, who said: “I have been entrusted with knowledge of what precedes its onset; as for its onset itself, none knows it but Allah.” He mentioned the emergence of the Dajjal and said: “I will descend and kill him. Then the people will return to their lands, where Gog and Magog will confront them, surging down from every elevation. They will pass no water without drinking it, and nothing without corrupting it. The people will cry out to Allah, and I will call upon Allah to destroy them. The earth will become foul from their stench. They will cry out to Allah again, and I will call upon Allah, then He will send rain from the sky that will carry them and cast them into the sea. Then the mountains will be pulverized and the earth spread out like a hide. I have been told that when this happens, the Hour will come upon the people like a pregnant woman whose family does not know when labor will suddenly overtake her.” Al-‘Awwam said: “Confirmation of this is found in the Book of Allah Most High: ‘Until Gog and Magog are released, and they surge down from every elevation.’”

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‘Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Mu‘awiyah ibn Hisham narrated to us; ‘Ali ibn Salih narrated to us, from Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad, from Ibrahim, from ‘Alqamah, from ‘Abdullah, who said: While we were with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), some young men from Banu Hashim came. When the Prophet (ﷺ) saw them, his eyes welled with tears and his complexion changed. I said: “We keep seeing something in your face that we dislike.” He said: “We are a household for whom Allah has chosen the Hereafter over this world. After I am gone, my household will face hardship, displacement, and expulsion, until people come from the east carrying black banners. They will ask for what is good, but it will not be given to them. Then they will fight and be granted victory, and they will be given what they asked for. They will not accept it until they hand it over to a man from my household, who will fill it with justice just as they had filled it with oppression. Whoever among you lives to see that, let him go to them, even if he must crawl over snow.”

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Nasr ibn ‘Ali al-Jahdami narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Marwan al-‘Uqayli narrated to us; ‘Umarah ibn Abi Hafsah narrated to us, from Zayd al-‘Ammi, from Abu Siddiq al-Naji, from Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri, that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “The Mahdi will be among my community. If his time is short, it will be seven; otherwise, it will be nine. During that time my community will enjoy a prosperity unlike anything it has ever enjoyed. The land will yield its produce and withhold nothing from them, and wealth will be heaped up. A man will stand and say, ‘Mahdi, give me something.’ He will say, ‘Take it.’”

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Muhammad ibn Yahya and Ahmad ibn Yusuf narrated to us; they said: ‘Abd al-Razzaq narrated to us, from Sufyan al-Thawri, from Khalid al-Hadhdha’, from Abu Qilabah, from Abu Asma’ al-Rahabi, from Thawban, who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Three men, each the son of a caliph, will fight over your treasure, but it will not pass to any one of them. Then black banners will emerge from the east, and they will kill you with a slaughter unlike any people have suffered.” Then he mentioned something I do not remember, and said: “When you see him, pledge allegiance to him, even if you must crawl over snow, for he is the caliph of Allah, the Mahdi.”

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‘Uthman ibn Abi Shaybah narrated to us; Abu Dawud al-Hafari narrated to us; Yasin narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, from his father, from ‘Ali, who said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The Mahdi is one of us, the people of the Household. Allah will set him right in a single night.”