Al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ once awoke from sleep, his face red, saying:
“Lā ilāha illa Allah! Woe to the Arabs from an evil that has drawn near! Today a breach has been opened in the barrier of Yaʾjūj and Maʾjūj like this…”
He then gestured with his fingers in a circular motion.
It was said to him: “Will we be destroyed while there are righteous people among us?”
He replied:
“Yes, when wickedness becomes prevalent.”
In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Today a hole like this has been opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog.”
This indicates how close the end-time tribulations are.
Sudden Descents of Trials and the Unseen
Al-Bukhārī narrated that the Prophet ﷺ once awoke alarmed at night and said:
“Subḥān Allāh! What treasures have been sent down tonight, and what tribulations have been revealed! Who will awaken the dwellers of these chambers (i.e., his wives) so they may pray? Many are clothed in this world but will be naked in the Hereafter.”
He also said:
“Do you see what I see? I see tribulations falling upon your homes like raindrops.”
And:
“Time will shrink, knowledge will decrease, miserliness will be cast into hearts, tribulations will appear, and killing (al-harj) will increase.”
When asked about al-harj, he replied:
“It means killing, killing!”
The Escalation of Corruption Through the Ages
Anas ibn Mālik narrated:
“Be patient. No time will come upon the people except that the one after it will be worse—until you meet your Lord.”
The common saying among people that “every year gets worse” is based on this narration.
Remaining Passive During Times of Fitnah
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“There will be tribulations wherein the one sitting is better than the one standing, the one standing is better than the one walking, and the one walking is better than the one running. Whoever finds a shelter or refuge should take it.”
This was also narrated by Muslim.
He also said:
“A time will come when people will be so desperate that a man will pass by another’s grave and say: ‘Would that I were in his place.'”
Rise of Foreign Powers and Moral Decay
Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Soon Allah will fill your hands with foreigners—fierce like lions, who do not flee. They will kill your warriors and consume your wealth.”
The Revival of Paganism and Materialism
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The Hour will not be established until the backsides of the women of Daws (a tribe) sway as they circumambulate Dhū al-Khalasah (a pagan idol once worshipped in Jāhiliyyah).”
He also said:
“The Euphrates will soon uncover a mountain of gold. Whoever is present, let him not take anything from it.”
In another narration:
“People will fight over it, and out of every hundred, ninety-nine will be killed.”
Widespread Deception, False Prophets, and the Breakdown of Trust
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The Hour will not be established until two great groups fight one another, though their call is one, until false messiahs—nearly thirty—appear, each claiming to be a messenger of Allah, until knowledge is lifted, earthquakes increase, time passes quickly, tribulations manifest, killing becomes widespread, and wealth overflows to the point that a man will worry about finding someone to accept his charity.”
Tribulations Greater Than the Sword
The Prophet ﷺ also warned:
“Fitnah will come like the patches of a dark night. A man will wake up a believer and go to bed a disbeliever, or sleep a believer and wake up a disbeliever, selling his religion for a worldly gain. The one holding onto his religion during that time will be like holding onto burning coal.”
He ﷺ said:
“The time is near when nations will call each other against you as diners call one another to their dish.”
They asked: “Will that be due to our small numbers?”
He said:
“No. You will be numerous, but you will be like the scum on the surface of a torrent. Allah will remove fear of you from the hearts of your enemies and cast wahn into your hearts.”
They asked: “What is wahn?”
He replied:
“Love of the world and hatred of death.”
Command to Withdraw From Public Turmoil
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“When you see people breaking their covenants, and trusts are diminished, then isolate yourself, guard your tongue, concern yourself with what you know, and avoid what you disapprove of. Focus on your personal responsibilities and stay away from public discord.”
Some of the Tribulations Described by Name
He ﷺ mentioned:
- Fitnat al-Aḥlās: a time of war and retreat
- Fitnat al-Sarrah: deception through worldly luxury
- Fitnat al-Duhaymāʾ: a dark, all-encompassing tribulation, sparing none
He said: “People will become two camps: a camp of pure faith and another of absolute hypocrisy. When this occurs, await the Dajjāl that day or the next.”
Other Signs and Tribulations
- People will leave Islam in waves as they once entered it in waves.
- There will be people who speak with their tongues like cattle lick with theirs—using religion for worldly gain.
- Treachery will spread; the trustworthy will be doubted while the dishonest are praised.
- Mass killing will occur, and its victims will all be in the Hellfire.
- A man will fear his own neighbour and companion.
- People will beg for death out of despair.
- Leadership will fall to the corrupt and the young.
- Fornication, moral collapse, and betrayal will become widespread.
- A man will say to the oppressor, “You are a tyrant,” and be considered strange or rare for doing so.
- A people will strike others with whips like the tails of cattle.
- Women will appear clothed yet naked, inclining and making others incline—such will not enter Paradise nor smell its fragrance.
On the End of the Ummah’s Security
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“My Ummah’s security was in its early generations. Later generations will face affliction after affliction. Trials will come, one gentler than the one before, and each believer will say, ‘This is the one that will destroy me,’ and yet it will pass. Whoever wishes to be saved from the Fire and enter Paradise should die believing in Allah and the Last Day, and treat others as he would love to be treated.”
A False Hadith Not To Be Relied Upon
Al-Qurṭubī cited a narration attributed to Ḥudhayfah ibn al-Yamān describing the sequential ruin of cities—Basra by flood, Egypt by the drying of the Nile, Makkah by the Abyssinians, etc. He noted that this narration is not found in any reliable source, and likely fabricated or weak even if attributed to Ḥudhayfah.
Final Reflections
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ foretold these tribulations not to frighten, but to warn, so the Ummah might be prepared and protected. He also said:
“There will remain a group of my Ummah upon the truth, unharmed by those who oppose them, until the command of Allah comes.”
And he ﷺ warned:
“If you see my Ummah fear telling the oppressor, ‘You are an oppressor,’ then know they have been forsaken.”
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THE PROHIBITION OF CAUSING MISCHIEF IN THE LAND
Allah said next;
وَلاَ تُفْسِدُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـحِهَا
(And do not do mischief on the earth, after it has been set in order) 5:56. Allah prohibits causing mischief on the earth, especially after it has been set in order. When the affairs are in order and then mischief occurs, it will cause maximum harm to the people; thus Allah forbids causing mischief and ordained worshipping Him, supplicating to Him, begging Him and being humble to Him.