Book 27: Fitan

Abu Musa reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "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 an infidel in the morning. He who sits during them will be better than he who gets up and he who walks during them will be better than he who runs. So, break your bows during them, cut your bowstrings during them, and strike your swords on stones. If people then come in to one of you, let him be like the better of Adam's sons[*]." A version by him has the same up to "better than he who runs." It then says the people asked what he ordered them to do and he replied, "Keep to your houses". *The reference is to Abel who was killed by his brother Cain. Abu Dawud transmitted it. Tirmidhi's version states that God's messenger said about the commotion, "Break your bows during it, cut your bowstrings during it, keep to the inside of your houses during it, and be like Adam's son." Tirmidhi transmitted it. He said this is a sahih gharib tradition.

Umm Malik al-Bahziya told that when God's messenger mentioned civil strife and its nearness she asked him who would be the best of the people during it and he replied, "A man with his cattle who pays the zakat due on them and worships his Lord, and a man who holds his horse's head and causes fear to the enemy while they are causing him fear." Tirmidhi transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. `Amr reported God's messenger as saying, "There will be civil strife which will wipe out the Arabs, and their slain will go to hell. During it the tongue will be more severe than blows of the sword." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "There will be civil strife which will render people deaf, dumb, and blind regarding what is right. Those who contemplate it will be drawn by it, and giving rein to the tongue during it will be like smiting with the sword." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. `Amr said: When we were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) he mentioned periods of commotion, mentioning many of them, and when he mentioned the one when people should keep to their houses someone asked him the meaning of that and he replied, "It will be flight and plunder. Then will come a testing which is pleasing, its murkiness being due to the fact that it is raised 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 commotion which will leave none of this people without giving him a slap, and when people say 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 dajjal that day or the next." *A figure of speech indicating instability. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "Woe to the Arabs because of evil which has drawn near! He will escape who restrains his hand." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Al-Miqdad b. al-Aswad told that he heard God's messenger say, "The happy man is he who avoids dissensions; the happy man is he who avoids dissensions; the happy man is he who avoids dissensions; but how fine is the man who is afflicted and shows endurance." Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Thauban reported God's messenger as saying, "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 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 God's prophet, whereas I am the seal of the prophets after whom there will be no prophet; but a section of my people will continue to hold to the truth till God's command comes and will prevail and will not be injured by those who oppose them." Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi transmitted it.

`Abdallah b. Mas'ud reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, "The mill of Islam will go round till the year 35, or 36, or 37, then if they perish, they will have followed the path of those who perished before them, but if their religion is maintained for them, it will be maintained for them for seventy years." He asked him whether that meant seventy years more or seventy altogether, and he replied that it meant seventy altogether. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Abu Waqid al-Laithi told that when God's messenger went out to the battle of Hunain, he passed a tree called Dhat Anwat[*] belonging to the polytheists on which they hung their weapons. The people asked him to appoint a Dhat Anwat for them just as those people had one, to which God's messenger replied, "Glory be to God! This is like what the people of Moses said when they asked him to appoint them a god just as other peoples had gods. By Him in whose hand my soul is, you will certainly follow the practices of your predecessors." *The tree was an object of pagan worship. Its name means that it had things hung on it. Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn al-Musayyib said: When the first civil strife occurred, i.e., the assassination of `Uthman, not one of those who had been at Badr remained; when the second occurred, i.e., the Harra, not one of those who had been at al-Hudaibiya remained; and the third [1] one occurred and did not disappear while there was intelligence among the people.[2] 1. Probably a reference to 'Abdallah b. az-Zubair who claimed the Caliphate and was killed in 73 A.H. when al-Hajjaj stormed Mecca. 2. See Bukhari, Maghazi, 12, where the wording is slightly different. Qastallani remarks that tabakh means `intelligence,' but some say 'strength' and also `remains of good in the religion'. I have used the meaning he prefers, but one might use 'strength' which is said to be the basic meaning. Lane gives 'firmness,' 'soundness,' `strength and fatness', 'intelligence' and `good,' Cf. Mirqat. v, 153. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before two parties which make the same profession fight together and a great slaughter results, before about thirty lying dajjals are sent forth each of them asserting that he is God's messenger, before knowledge is withheld, earthquakes are abundant, the time becomes short, dissensions appear, and there is much harj, which means slaughter, before wealth is abundant and overflowing among you, before one who possesses property is anxious to find someone who will accept his sadaqa, before he offers it and the one to whom it is offered says he has no need of it, before people try to outstrip one another in building, before a man passes another's grave and expresses the desire that he were in his place, and before the sun rises in its place of setting. Then when it rises and people see it, they will all believe, but that is a time when a soul will not be benefited by faith it did not have before, or acquire any good from its faith. The last hour will certainly come when two men have spread out their garment between them, but they will not complete the transaction or fold up the garment; the last hour will certainly come when a man has gone off with the milk of his milch camel, but he will not taste it; the last hour will certainly come when a man is repairing his tank, but he will not water his camels from it; and the last hour will certainly come when one has raised his food to his mouth, but he will not taste it." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before you fight with a people whose sandals are of hair, and before you fight with the Turks who have small eyes, red faces, short noses, whose faces look as if they were shields covered with skin." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before you fight with Khuz and Kirman[*] who are foreigners with red faces, snub noses and small eyes, whose faces look as if they were shields covered with skin and whose sandals are of hair." *Yaqut, Mu'jam, ii, 494, says Khuz is used both of Khuzistan and of its people. The districts mentioned are in what is now Iran. Bukhari transmitted it. A version of his on the authority of `Amr b. Taghlib has ``broad faces."

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them, so that Jews will hide behind stones and trees and the stone and the tree will say, `O Muslim, O servant of God, there is a Jew behind me; come and kill him.' The only exception will be the box-thorn, for it is one of the trees of the Jews." Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God's messenger as saying, "The last hour will not come before a man of Qahtan comes forth driving people with his stick." (Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God's messenger as saying, "Days and nights will not pass away before a man called al-Jahjah rules." A version has "Before one of the clients called al-Jahjah rules." Muslim transmitted it.

Jabir b. Samura told that he heard God's messenger say, "A band of the Muslims will certainly gain the treasure of the family of Kisra which is in al-Abyad." * *A fortress in the Persian capital al-Mada'in. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God's messenger as saying, "Kisra will perish and there will be no Kisra after him, Qaisar will certainly perish and there will be no Qaisar after him, and their treasures will certainly be divided in God's path." He also called war a method of deceit. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Nafi' b. `Utba reported God's messenger as saying, "You will attack Arabia and God will conquer it; then Persia and God will conquer it; then you will attack the Byzantines and God will conquer them; then you will attack the dajjal and God will conquer him." Muslim transmitted it.