Part 13

'" As the saddlebag adheres to a mount, so too will this tial adhere to the people. This is one possibility why it is called the trial of the saddlebag; another is because a saddlebag is usually black, and the trial being discussed is black, dark, and gloomy.

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‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn AlAas 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah 3& said, “Elow will you (act) and the time draws near when people will be sifted (this means that the best of people will perish while the base ones remain); the covenants of people will be corrupted and the people will differ; then they will be like this,” and he intertwined his fingers. They said, “How should we (act), O Messenger of Allah?” He ig said, “ Take what you know to be good and leave what you repudiate; betake yourselves to your own private affairs and leave off the affairs of the general public.” (Abu Daawood) Ibn Maajah and Ahmad related the same hadith through different chains.

“Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn Al-‘Aas - said, “ While we were around the Messenger of Allah 3%, he mentioned the trial or it was mentioned in his company. He : said, ‘And you will see the covenants of people become corrupted and their trusts decline (i.e. people are no longer trustworthy), and they will be like this,’ and he intertwined his fingers. Istood up, went to him, and said, ‘ What should I do at that time, may Allah make me your sacrifice?’ He #% said, ‘ Adhere to your house, control (or take hold of) your tongue, take what you know to be good, and leave what you repudiate. Upon you is the affair of your own self, and leave off the affairs of the general public.” (Ahmad) An-Nasaaee related it as well, but through a different chain.

A Trial In Which The Impact Of The Tongue Is More Harsh Than The Impact Of The Sword

Abdullah ibn ‘Amr 4 related that the Messenger of Allah #& said, “ Indeed there will be a trial and it will afflict the Arabs. Those killed in it are in the Hellfire. The effect of the tongue during it is more severe than the effect of the sword.” (Abu Daawood) Ahmad, AtTirmidhee, and Ibn Maajah related it as well, but through different chains.

‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd Rabbul-Ka‘bah said, “I was sitting with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar # under the shade of the Ka’bah, and he was relating hadith to the people.” He + said, “When we were with the Messenger of Allah #4 on a journey, we encamped somewhere. Then the caller of the Messenger of Allah #8 made the call announcing that the prayer was gathered. 1 went to him (the Prophet #%) and he

70 Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations

addressed the people, saying, ‘O people, there was no matter before me except that it was a right upon Allah to point His slaves from Him {and through a prophet) to that which he (the prophet) knew to be good for them and to warn them regarding that which he (the prophet) knew to be bad for them. Lo! Indeed safety of this nation is in its beginning, and trials and misfortunes will afflict the end of this Nation. Some of them will come joined together. A trial will come and the believer will say: this, this is my destruction — but then the trial will disappear. Then it will come and he will say: this, this (is my destruction), then it will come (again) and he will say: this, this, and then it will disappear. So whoever loves to be removed from the Hellfire and to be made to enter Paradise, then let his death come while he believes in Allah and the Last Day; and let him give the people what he loves to be given. And whoever pledges allegiance to any Imam, giving him the transaction of his hand and the fruit of his heart, then he must obey him if he is able,’ and one time he said, ‘ as much as he is able.” ‘Abdur-Rahmaan said, “When I heard this, I thrust my head between my two legs and I said (to ‘Abullah ibn “Umar 4s), “ Indeed your cousin, Mu’aawiyah +t, orders us to eat the wealth of people unjustly and to kill each other. And Allah #% says,

“O you who believe! Eat not up your property among yourselves

unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual consent, And

do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is Most

Merciful to you.’1 ‘Abdur-Rahmaan then said, “He (ie. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar 4) joined his hands together and placed them on his forehead. He lowered his head for a short while and then he raised it and said, ‘Obey him in the obedience of Allah and disobey him in the disobedience of Allah.’ I said, ‘ You heard this from the Messenger of Allah?’ He 4s said, ‘ Yes, I heard it from him with my ears and I grasped it with my heart.” (Ahmad) Muslim, Abu Daawood, An-Nasaaee, and Al-

Book of The End : Great Trials and Tribulations 71

‘Amash related it as well.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr .#s related that he heard the Messenger of Allah si say, “When you see that my nation dreads saying to the oppressor, ‘Indeed you are an oppressor, then they have taken their leave (ie. their existence and non-existence amounts to the same thing).”” (Ahmad) And the Messenger of Allah 28 said, “There will be Qadfi (heavy winds with stones flying), Khasf (swallowing of the varth with those on it), and Maskh (transformation of people into animals).’”

+ Abu Hurairah a related that the Messenger of Allah #8 said, “There will be a trial that is Sammaa (The people of the trial will not listen to the truth or to advice), Bakmaa (during it, no one will speak the truth), ‘Amyaa (people will become blinded, not seeing matters clearly). Whoever seeks it out, the trial seeks him cut and attracts him. The effect of the tongue during it is more severe than the effect of the sword.” (Abu Daawood)

The Prophet i Intimated That The Muslins Would Conquer Constantinople Before Rome

Abu Qateel said, “We were with ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar , and he was asked, ‘Which city will be conquered - Constantinople or Rome?’ ‘Abdullah called for a box to be brought...and he removed from it a book. ‘Abdullah 2 said, ‘While we were (gathered) around the Messenger of Allah 4 and we were writing, the Messenger of Allah #@ was asked: Which city will be conquered first - Constantinople or Rome? The Messenger of Allah 2% said: The city of Hiraq] will be conquered first - ie, Constantinople.” (Ahtinad)

Some News, The Source Of Which Is Imputed To The Messenger Of Allah , About Destruction In Certain Countries; However, The hadith Is Clearly A Fabrication

{t is related in a hadith of Hudhaifah ibn Al-Yamaan that the Prophet 3% said, “Destruction will begin from the extremes of the earth, until Egypt is destroyed. Egypt is safe until Basrah is destroyed, and the ruin of Basrah will be drowning, whereas the ruin of Egypt will be the dryness of the Nile. The ruin of Makkah and Madeenah is from hunger. The ruin of Yemen is from locusts;

72 Book of The End: Great Trials and Tribulations

the ruin of Al-Ubullah (a place in Basrah) is from besiegement. The ruin of Paaris is from the poor. The ruin of the Turks (again, whenever Turks are mentioned here, the Tatars and their descendents are being referred to) is from Ad-Dailam; the ruin of Dailam is from Al-Arman; the ruin of Al-Arman is from Al-Khazar; the ruin of Al-Khazar is from the Turks; and the ruin of the Turks is from thunderbolts. The ruin of As-Sind is from India; the ruin of India is from China; and the ruin of China is from Ar-Rumul. The ruin of Al-Habasha is from quakes, and the ruin of Az-Zuwaraa (a place in Madeenah near the Mosque) is from As-Sufyaanee. The ruin of Ar-Raohaa is from the earth swallowing (it or parts of it), and the destruction of Iraq is killing.” (Related by Al-Qurtubee in At Tadhkirah) Abul-Farj ibn Al-Jawzee related it as well; he said, “I heard that the destruction of Al-Andulus is a barren wind.”

Many Signs And Aayaat

“Abdullah ibn ‘Amr said, “I entered upon the Prophet 2% as he was making ablution in a deliberate manner. Then he raised his head, looked at me, and said, ‘O my nation, six among you: the death of your Prophet #.’ It was as if he pulled out my heart from its place. He 4 said, ‘(That is) one. Wealth will flow abundantly among you until a man is given 10000, but he still complains about it (being too little); that is the second. A trial will enter the house of every man from you, (and that is) three. Death like Qu’aas of sheep (a disease that kills livestock on a sudden), (and that is) four. A truce will take place between you and the children of the yellow (skinned people); they will gather for you for nine months, like the period of a woman's pregnancy. Then they will be more worthy of treachery than you, (and that is) five. And the conquering of a city, (and that makes) six.’ I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which city?’ He i said, “Constantinople.” (Ahmad) Based on the narrators of this hadith, the chain is dubious; however, it is supported through another narration with an authentic chain,

“Aouf ibn Maalik .# said, “I went to the Messenger of Allah #¢ while he was engaged in the battle of Tabook; he was in a dome made of Udam (skin or leather). He # said, ‘Enumerate six signs which will occur in close proximity to the Hour - 1) my death; 2) the conquering of Constantinople; 3) death that will take you like the barber of sheep (takes hair from them); 4) an abundant flow of

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wealth until a man receives 100 dinar yet still remains dissatisfied; 5) a trial that will not leave a single house from the Arabs except that it enters it; 6) then there will be a truce between you and the children of the yellow ones. They will advance and come to you under 80 flags; under each flag there will be 12,000.” (Bukhaaree) Abu Daawood, Ibn Maajah, and At-Tabaraanee related it from the hadith of Al-Waleed.