45.

Book of Trials

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كِتَابُ الْفِتَنِ

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The beast will emerge on the night of Muzdalifah, while the people are proceeding towards Mina. It will mount them between their hind parts and their tails. No hypocrite will be left but it will mark him. It will touch the believer. The people at that time will be more evil than the Dajjal."

It is narrated from Hazrat Abraham, peace be upon him, that he said: "The Dabbat al-Ard (a beast of the earth) will emerge from Makkah al-Mukarramah (Mecca)."

It is narrated from Hazrat Aisha that she said that this animal will come out from the place of Ajyad.

It was narrated from Abdullah bin Umar that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The sacrificial animal will leave the place of sacrifice during the Days of Tashreeq when the people are still at Mina." He said: "This is why the one who comes first among the pilgrims is given the glad tidings, if he has brought his people in safety."

It is narrated on the authority of Aisha that she said: When the first of the signs (of the Hour) appears, the pens will be lifted and the bodies will be made to testify to their deeds, and the scribes (angels) will be stopped (from writing).

It is narrated on the authority of Hadrat Abu al-'Aliyah who said, "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said that there will be a period of six months between the first sign (of the Hour) and the last sign. During this time, the signs (of the Hour) will occur one after another, like pearls falling one after another (from a broken string)."

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Hurairah that he said: "There will be eight months between the first sign and the last sign."

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Ka'b that he said: It is as if I am seeing six hundred thousand Arabs, at the front of the Dajjal's army, who will be wearing green turbans, and they will increase me in certainty about the turmoil that I see emanating from them.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abu Bakhtari that it was said to Hazrat Huzaifa: Should we not enjoin good and forbid evil? He said: This is good, but it is not from the Sunnah that you raise arms against your Imam.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Aqabah bin Amr. They said I was a self-respecting and proud man. No one would stand before me, neither a king nor anyone else. And [the Prophet] (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "My Lord has given me the choice between two things: that I should be patient with them, despite my dislike and humiliation, or that I should take my sword and kill them unjustly and enter Hell. So I chose to be patient with my dislike and humiliation, and not to take my sword and enter Hell by killing them unjustly."

It is narrated from Hazrat Naim bin Abi Hind that Hazrat Abu Masud Ansari left Kufa while drops of water were falling from his head (due to Ghusl) and he intended to perform Hajj. People said to him, "Advise us." He said, "O people! Consider your opinion suspicious. I saw myself determined to kill myself with my sword in disobedience to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)." People said, "Advise us (more)." He said, "It is obligatory upon you to fear Allah and be patient until the righteous attain comfort or the wicked are relieved."

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Al-Rabab and one of his companions that they heard Hazrat Abu Dhar praying and said, "We saw you praying in this city. We have not seen a longer prayer than this in terms of standing, bowing, and prostrating. When you finished, you raised your hands and prayed, and sought refuge from the Day of Tribulation and the Day of Exposure. What is the reason for this?" He said, "Yes, we will tell you about what is strange to you. The Day of Tribulation (the day of calamity) is the day when two groups of Muslims will fight each other and kill each other, and the Day of Exposure (the day of revealing the private parts) means that Muslim women will be imprisoned and their legs will be exposed. Whoever among them has thick calves will be bought because of her thick calves. I prayed to Allah that I would not see this time, and you two will see this time." The narrator says that Hazrat Uthman was martyred and Hazrat Muawiyah sent Sirin Abi Artah to Yemen. He imprisoned Muslim women, so these women were made to stand in the market (for sale).

It is narrated from Hazrat Alqamah (R.A) that he said that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When the people of truth will overcome falsehood, then there will be no Fitnah.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Zayd bin Wahab, who said that Hazrat Hudhayfah was asked about the meaning of fitna (trials and tribulations) subsiding and emerging. He replied that the emergence of fitna refers to the sword being drawn from its scabbard, and its subsiding refers to the sword being sheathed.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Musa that he met him (the Holy Prophet) and made mention of sedition, whereupon he (the Holy Prophet) observed: This is definitely one of the seditions and there is no doubt about it that a great and widespread sedition is yet to come which would look towards it (this sedition, i. e. people would be attracted towards it) and one who would peep into it, it (the great sedition) would also attract him, and one who would jump into it, the sedition would overpower him like the waves of the ocean.

It is narrated on the authority of Sa'ib that Abdullah bin Amr said to me: "Where are you from?" I said: "From the people of Kufa." He said: "By the Being in Whose Hand is my soul, you will certainly be taken from here to the land of the Arabs. You will not own a qafiz (a measure) nor a dirham (a coin) and you will not be rescued."

It is narrated from Hazrat Rubai bin Harash that he said, I heard from Hazrat Huzaifa that he said: If Dajjal emerges, some people will come to their graves with faith in him.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ali, he said that undoubtedly the last rebel who will emerge in Islam will come out from the inn of Kufa, Dhikrah (which is built like a palace). People will join him. One-third of them will be killed, one-third will enter (a safe place), and one-third will be besieged in the monastery of Marmari (which is near Wasif Bridge in the outskirts of Samarra). Some of them in the monastery will have white and black hair. People will besiege them and kill them (from the monastery, etc.) and kill them. This will be the last rebel army that will emerge in Islam.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Aqaba bin Nafi, he said: I asked Hazrat Ibn Umar with whom should I fight? He said: Fight along with those who fight for the sake of Allah and do not fight along with those who fight for this dinar (gold coin) and dirham (silver coin).

It is narrated from Hazrat Mujahid that he said: You will not see spaciousness until four men from the children of one man rule (i.e., they will be the offspring of one man). When that happens, then it is near (that you will see spaciousness).

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar that he said: The first land to be destroyed will be the land of Syria.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, that he said: "A people will come to you from the east, with flat faces and small eyes, as if their eyes were holes made in stones. Their faces will be like swollen shields. They will tie their horses on the banks of the Euphrates."

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Destruction is for the Arabs, from an evil that is approaching. By Allah, it will come upon them swifter than a swift she-camel. It will be a blind, unknown tribulation. A man will enter it in the morning upon one matter, and in the evening he will be upon another. The one sitting in it will be better than the one standing, and the one standing in it will be better than the one walking, and the one walking in it will be better than the one running. If I were to tell you all that I know, you would cut off my neck from here, and you would move your neck from the edge of your palm." (Then he said) "O Allah, may Abu Hurairah not find the time of the children's rule, and he raised both his hands like this until he made their backs towards the inner side of his palm."

It is narrated from Hazrat Anas that a time will come upon the people when women will find a shoe lying on the road and they will say to each other that this shoe was once in someone's feet.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Husain that Abdur Rahman bin Abi Laila used to silence the people at the time of Jamajim (a battle during the time of Hajjaj).

It is narrated on the authority of Isa Sadi, who narrates from the man who asked Abu al-Bakhtari about his dwelling place during the time of the plagues. Abu al-Bakhtari wrote to him in reply, "Whoever said what he wished about us, if I had found a better situation than the one I was in, I would have opted for it."

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Ala bin Abdil Kareem, that Hazrat Talha bin Musraf heard me laughing one day, so he said, "You laugh like a man who was not present in the battle of Yamama."

It is narrated from Hazrat Zaazan that he said, "I wish that the blood of the Syrians would be on my clothes," and he pointed to his clothes, or he said, "in my lap."

It is narrated from Mansoor about Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Khizar that both of them disliked fighting (war).

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abu Al-Bakhtari that he saw a man defeated in the days of the Battle of Yamama, so he said, "The heat of the fire of Hell is more intense than the heat of a sword."

It is narrated from Hazrat Mujahid that he disliked the skull.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Fatimah bint Qais, she said that one day at noon, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came and offered prayer, then he ascended the pulpit, and when the people stood up, you said, "O people! Sit down. Verily, I did not stand in this place out of desire or fear." And this was said because you had not sat on the pulpit at this hour before, but Tamim Dari came to me and gave me such news, the joy and coolness of my eyes prevented me from taking a nap. I wanted to tell you the news of Tamim in front of you. He told me that a group of his cousins went on a voyage in the sea. A strong wind caught them. This wind took them to an island that they did not recognize. Then they boarded nearby ships and went out towards the island. Then they reached near a black thing that was very hairy. They did not know whether it was a man or a woman. They started saying to it, "Will you tell us?" It said, "I will neither tell you nor ask you about anything, but this monastery, which you are near, has a man who is eager to tell you about it and ask you." They asked it, "What is it?" It said, "I am a spy." They went out and reached the monastery. They asked permission to enter. He gave permission. Then they found an old man there who was chained in strong chains. He was a man of sorrow and complained a lot. They greeted him. He returned the greeting and asked, "Where are you from?" They said, "From Syria." He asked, "Who are you among them?" They said, "From the Arabs." He asked, "What is the condition of the Arabs? Has their Prophet appeared?" They said, "Yes." He asked, "What did those Arabs do?" They said, "A people confronted them, and Allah Almighty gave them victory over them. Now they are all gathered." He said, "This is good." And it was also mentioned in this that the Arabs believed in them, followed them, and confirmed them. He said, "This is better for them." Then he asked, "What is the condition of the spring of Zaghr?" They said, "It is good. People there drink from it when they are thirsty and irrigate their crops with it." He asked, "What is the condition of the dates of Oman and Baysan?" They said, "Fruits are obtained from them throughout the year." He asked, "What is the condition of Lake Tiberias?" They said, "It is full. Due to the abundance of water, both its banks jump." The narrator said that he took a long breath, then a long breath, then a long breath, then he swore an oath and said, "If I am released or I am released from these chains or from this place, I will not leave any land except that I will trample it with both of these feet of mine, except for Taybah (Madinah). I have no way and control over it." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "This is the height of my happiness. This is Taybah, and by the One in whose grip is the life of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), this is Taybah. Allah Almighty has forbidden my sanctuary for the entry of Dajjal." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) swore an oath and said, "There is no narrow or wide path, soft ground, or mountain in it except that a sword-wielding angel is appointed on it until the Day of Judgment. Dajjal does not have the power to enter upon the people of Madinah." Mujahid said that Amir narrated and said that I narrated this hadith in front of Qasim bin Muhammad. Qasim said that I bear witness to Aisha that she narrated this hadith to me except that she said, "Both sanctuaries are forbidden for him." Makkah and Madinah. Amir said that I met Muharrir bin Abi Hurairah. I narrated the narration of Fatimah bint Qais to him. He said that I bear witness to my father (Hazrat Abu Hurairah) that he narrated it to me just as Fatimah narrated it to you. They did not reduce a single letter from it except that my father added one thing to it. They said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned his hand towards the east. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) lowered his hand about twenty times.

Salma bin Akhil reported from Abu al-Zara, and he narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that the Dajjal (Antichrist) was mentioned in his presence. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "O people, at the time of his emergence, you will be divided into three groups. One group will follow him, one group will go to the places where grass grows in the land of their forefathers, and one group will hold onto the bank of this Euphrates." He (the Dajjal) will fight them, and they (the people) will fight him until the believers gather on the western side of Syria. They will send an army to advance towards him. Among them will be a rider on a white-reddish horse or a piebald horse. He will be killed, and no one from among them will return." Salma said, "Abu Sadiq narrated to me from Rubayi' bint Naji that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 'It will be a white-reddish horse.'" Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "The People of the Book say that the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, will descend and kill him." Abu al-Zara said, "I never heard the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) narrate any hadith from the People of the Book except this one." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Then Gog and Magog will emerge. They will roam the earth and spread corruption." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited, "{And they will come forth from every lofty place, pouring down.} And they will come running from every elevated place. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Allah will send a worm upon them, like the worm that is born in the nose of a camel. It will enter their ears and their private parts. They will die from it." He said, "The earth will become polluted from them. A plea will be made to Allah, the Almighty. Then Allah will send down rain upon them, and Allah will send a very cold wind. It will not leave a single believer on earth except that this wind will turn him over." He said, "Then the Hour will be established upon the wicked people." He said, "Then an angel will stand between heaven and earth, holding the trumpet, and he will blow into this trumpet." The narrator said, "The trumpet is a horn." He said, "No creature of Allah in the heavens and the earth will remain except that it will die, except for whom Allah wills." Then He said, "Then there will be a period of time between the two blows, as long as Allah wills." (The narrator said), "Allah, the Almighty, will sprinkle water from beneath the Throne, like the discharge of men." He said, "No creature from among the children of Adam will survive except that some of it (the water) will reach him. Then their bodies and their flesh will be revived from this water, just as the earth quickly grows vegetation." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited this verse: "Translation: And Allah is He Who sends the winds, so they raise clouds, then We drive them to a dead land, and revive thereby the earth after its death. Thus will be the Resurrection." Then he said, "Then the angel will stand between heaven and earth, holding the trumpet. He will blow it, then every soul will proceed towards its body and enter it." He said, "Then they will stand, alive like a human being, and stand before the Lord of the worlds." Then Allah, the Almighty, will appear to the creation in a form, and they will meet Him. Then, from among the creation, whoever used to worship something other than Allah, none of them will remain except that that thing will be raised for him, and he will follow behind it. So they will meet the Jews and say, 'Whom did you worship?' They will say, 'We worshipped Ezra.' Then Allah, the Almighty, will say, 'Do you desire water?' They will say, 'Yes.' (He said), Allah, the Almighty, will show them Hell, and it will be like a mirage (mirage refers to sand that appears as water in the sunlight)." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited the verse: "Translation: And We shall bring Hell close to the disbelievers on that Day." Then they will meet the Christians and ask, 'Whom did you worship?' They will say, 'The Messiah (Jesus).' He said, "Allah, the Almighty, will say, 'Do you desire water?' They will say, 'Yes.' Allah, the Almighty, will show them Hell, and it will be like a mirage (the shimmering sand that appears as water in the sunlight)." Then he said, "Then the same will be the case with all those who used to worship someone other than Allah, the Almighty." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited the verse: "Translation: Seize them and present them before Us for they will be questioned." Until the group of Muslims comes forward. Allah, the Almighty, will ask, 'Whom did you worship?' They will say, 'We worshipped Allah, the Almighty, and did not associate any partners with Him.'" The narrator says that Allah, the Almighty, will say, 'Do you recognize Allah, the Almighty?' They will say, 'Glory be to Him, when He appears before us, we will recognize Him.' The narrator said, "At that time, Allah, the Almighty, will manifest His Shin (part of the leg)." None of them will remain except that they will prostrate before Allah, the Almighty. The hypocrites will remain, and their backs will become like planks, as if there are bars in them. The narrator said, "The angels will say, 'You were called to prostrate while you were healthy.'" Allah, the Almighty, will command regarding the Siraat (bridge over Hell). It will be placed over Hell." He said, "The people will pass over it in groups according to their deeds. Some of them will pass like a flash of lightning, then some will pass like the blowing of the wind, then after that, some will pass like the flying of a bird, then some will pass like the fastest of quadrupeds. Then it will continue like this until a man passes by running, then until another man passes by walking. He will say, 'You made me pass very late.' Allah, the Almighty, will say, 'I did not delay you, but your deeds delayed you.'" The narrator said, "Then Allah, the Almighty, will grant permission for intercession. So the first to intercede on the Day of Resurrection will be the Holy Spirit, then Abraham, the beloved of Allah, then Moses or Jesus." The narrator said, "I do not know whether he said Moses or Jesus." Then your Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) will be standing in the fourth position. No one will intercede for the things for which he will intercede, and this is the Praised Station that Allah, the Almighty, mentioned: "{It may be that your Lord will raise you to a Praised Station.} It is near that your Lord will raise you to a Praised Station." So there will not be a single soul except that it will see its abode in Hell or its abode in Paradise. That will be the Day of Regret. The people of Hell will see the abode that was prepared for them in Paradise. It will be said to them, 'If only you had acted (you would have received this).' So they will be filled with regret. And the people of Paradise will see their abode that was prepared for them in Hell and will say, 'If Allah, the Almighty, had not bestowed His favor upon us, we would also have been destroyed.'" The narrator said, "Then the angels, the prophets, the witnesses, the righteous, and the believers will intercede. Allah, the Almighty, will accept their intercession. Then Allah, the Almighty, will say, 'I am the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.' So Allah, the Almighty, will bring out from Hell, by His mercy, more than all the creatures He brought out through intercession, until He will not leave in it anyone in whom there is any good." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recited this verse: "{What has caused you to enter Saqar (Hell)?}" The narrator said, "They will start counting, until they have counted four times: "{They will say: We were not of those who prayed. Nor did we feed the poor. And we used to indulge in idle talk with the idle talkers. And we used to deny the Day of Recompense. Until there came to us the certainty (i.e., death). So no profit did they get from the intercession of the intercessors.} Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Do you see any good in them, when no one has been left in it except those in whom there is no good? When Allah, the Almighty, wills that He will not bring anyone out of Hell, He will change their faces and their colors. Then a man from among the believers will come forward and say, 'O Lord!'" Allah, the Almighty, will say, "Whoever recognizes anyone, let him take him out." The narrator said, "He will come and see. He will recognize someone, and he will say..." He said that a man will call out to him, "O so-and-so, I am so-and-so." He will say, "I do not recognize you." He said, "At that time, they will say, 'Translation: Our Lord! Bring us out of it. If we ever return (to evil deeds), then indeed we will be wrongdoers.'" The narrator said, "At that time, Allah, the Almighty, will say, 'Remain you in it disgraced, and speak not to Me.'" The narrator said, "When Allah, the Almighty, says this, the gate of Hell will be closed upon them. Then no human being will be able to come out of it.

It is narrated on the authority of Hadrat Abu Saeed Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There will be a Mahdi among my Ummah. Whether his life is long or his life is short, he will rule the earth for seven years or eight years or nine years. So he will fill the earth with justice and fairness, just as it was filled with oppression. Then rain will come down from the sky and the earth will bring forth its blessings." You (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "My Ummah will live such a life in his time as they have never lived before."

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abu Saeed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "A man from among my family will appear at the time of the emergence of tribulations in the end times. His gifts will be abundant."

It is narrated on the authority of Hadrat Abu Saeed that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There will appear in the last of time some Caliphs who will bestow (wealth) in abundance."

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas that he said: Days and nights will not pass until we, the people of the Prophet's household, will have a young man among us whom trials will not mislead nor will he doubt the trials. The narrator said: We asked, "O Abu Al-Abbas, will your old men be unable to meet him and your young men will find him?" He replied, "It is the decree of Allah, He bestows upon whom He wills."

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas that he said: There will be three people among us. There will be Saffah among us, and there will be Mansoor among us, and there will be Mahdi among us.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar that he said: O people of Kufa, you are the most fortunate of people because of Mahdi.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ali (R.A) that he narrated from the Prophet (PBUH) that he said that the Mahdi will be from us, meaning from the family of the Prophet (Ahlul-Bayt). In one night, Allah Almighty will grant him (the Mahdi) the ability (for leadership and governance).

A similar narration to the above is also attributed to Hazrat Ali, but Hazrat Ali did not narrate it as marfoo' (directly attributed to the Prophet).

It is narrated from Hazrat Mujahid that he said that the Mahdi is Jesus, son of Mary. (Benefit: In this narration, Jesus has been declared as the Mahdi. This does not negate the Mahdi whose name is Muhammad ibn Abdullah, because Jesus is from among the guided people and the group of Prophets with infallibility and high rank. Therefore, being the Mahdi is in a linguistic sense. Otherwise, the fact that Jesus and the Mahdi are two separate personalities is proven like daylight from numerous authentic and continuous hadiths.)

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Abdullah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The world will not end until Allah Almighty sends a man from my family whose name will be in accordance with my name (meaning Hazrat Mahdi whose name will be Muhammad bin Abdullah).

It is narrated from Hazrat Ali that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: If even a day of (the world's) time remains, Allah Almighty will send a man from my progeny who will fill the earth with justice as it would have been filled with oppression.

It has been narrated on the authority of Hazrat Muhammad bin Sirin that he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that the Mahdi is from this Ummah (nation) and he is the one who will lead the prayer behind Hazrat Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus, son of Mary).

Hazrat Auf narrates from Hazrat Muhammad bin Sirin, he said that there will be a Caliph in this Ummah, Abu Bakr and Umar cannot be preferred over him. (Meaning that in the end times, in this Ummah, his effects of reform and the spread of justice and fairness among the people of the Ummah will be similar to his, otherwise the preference of the two Sheikhs is final).

It is narrated on the authority of Imran bin Zubayr from Hakim bin Sa'd that Imran bin Zubayr said that when Sulaiman bin Abdul Malik took over the government, he made public his achievements. (Imran bin Zubayr said) I said to Abi Tahyi (ie Hakim bin Sa'd) that this is the Mahdi who is mentioned. He said no, nor is he like him.

It is narrated from Hazrat Ibrahim bin Misar that he said: I asked Hazrat Taous about Umar bin Abdul Aziz whether he was Mahdi. Hazrat Taous said that he (Umar bin Abdul Aziz) was Mahdi (i.e., rightly guided) but he was not the Mahdi (that is awaited) because when the Mahdi will come, the righteous people will be increased in their righteousness and the sinners will repent from their sins. He (the awaited Mahdi) will spend wealth (in the way of Allah), will be strict with the rulers and will have mercy on the poor.

It is narrated on the authority of Hazrat Mujahid that he said: One of the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) told me that the Mahdi will not emerge until the pure soul is killed. When the pure soul is killed, then those who are in the heavens and those who are on the earth will be enraged. Then the people will come to Hazrat Mahdi. They will take him as a bride is taken to her husband's house on her wedding night. He will fill the earth with justice and fairness. The earth will bring forth its vegetation and the sky will send down its rain. My Ummah will be so prosperous in his rule that it has never been so prosperous before.