(25) CHAPTER. The signs of Prophethood in Islam.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, There will be afflictions (and at the time) the sitting person will be better than the standing one, and the standing one will be better than the walking, and the walking will be better than the running. And whoever will look towards those afflictions, they will overtake him, and whoever will find a refuge or a shelter, should take refuge in it.
The same narration is reported by Abu Bakr, with the addition, (The Prophet said), 'Among the prayers there is a prayer the missing of which will be to one like losing one's family and property.
Narrated Ibn Mas`ud: The Prophet said, Soon others will be preferred to you, and there will be things which you will not like. The companions of the Prophet asked, O Allah's Apostle! What do you order us to do (in this case)? He said, (I order you) to give the rights that are on you and to ask your rights from Allah.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, This branch from Quraish will ruin the people. The companions of the Prophet asked, What do you order us to do (then)? He said, I would suggest that the people keep away from them.''
Narrated Sa`id Al-Umawi: I was with Marwan and Abu Huraira and heard Abu Huraira saying, I heard the trustworthy, truly inspired one (i.e. the Prophet ) saying, 'The destruction of my followers will be brought about by the hands of some youngsters from Quraish. Marwan asked, Youngsters? Abu Huraira said, If you wish, I would name them: They are the children of so-and-so and the children of so-and-so.
Narrated Hudhaifa bin Al-Yaman: The people used to ask Allah's Apostle about good, but I used to ask him about evil for fear that it might overtake me. Once I said, O Allah's Apostle! We were in ignorance and in evil and Allah has bestowed upon us the present good; will there by any evil after this good? He said, Yes. I asked, Will there be good after that evil? He said, Yes, but it would be tained with Dakhan (i.e. Little evil). I asked, What will its Dakhan be? He said, There will be some people who will lead (people) according to principles other than my tradition. You will see their actions and disapprove of them. I said, Will there by any evil after that good? He said, Yes, there will be some people who will invite others to the doors of Hell, and whoever accepts their invitation to it will be thrown in it (by them). I said, O Allah's Apostle! Describe those people to us. He said, They will belong to us and speak our language I asked, What do you order me to do if such a thing should take place in my life? He said, Adhere to the group of Muslims and their Chief. I asked, If there is neither a group (of Muslims) nor a chief (what shall I do)? He said, Keep away from all those different sects, even if you had to bite (i.e. eat) the root of a tree, till you meet Allah while you are still in that state.
Narrated Hudhaifa: My companions learned (something about) good (through asking the Prophet) while I learned (something about) evil.
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, The Day of (Judgment) will not be established till there is a war between two groups whose claims (or religion) will be the same.
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, The Hour will not be established till there is a war between two groups among whom there will be a great number of casualties, though the claims (or religion) of both of them will be one and the same. And the Hour will not be established till there appear about thirty liars, all of whom will be claiming to be the messengers of Allah.
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri: While we were with Allah's Apostle who was distributing (i.e. some property), there came Dhu-l- Khuwaisira, a man from the tribe of Bani Tamim and said, O Allah's Apostle! Do Justice. The Prophet said, Woe to you! Who could do justice if I did not? I would be a desperate loser if I did not do justice. `Umar said, O Allah's Apostle! Allow me to chop his head off. The Prophet said, Leave him, for he has companions who pray and fast in such a way that you will consider your fasting negligible in comparison to theirs. They recite Qur'an but it does not go beyond their throats (i.e. they do not act on it) and they will desert Islam as an arrow goes through a victim's body, so that the hunter, on looking at the arrow's blade, would see nothing on it; he would look at its Risaf and see nothing: he would look at its Na,di and see nothing, and he would look at its Qudhadh ( 1 ) and see nothing (neither meat nor blood), for the arrow has been too fast even for the blood and excretions to smear. The sign by which they will be recognized is that among them there will be a black man, one of whose arms will resemble a woman's breast or a lump of meat moving loosely. Those people will appear when there will be differences amongst the people. I testify that I heard this narration from Allah's Apostle and I testify that `Ali bin Abi Talib fought with such people, and I was in his company. He ordered that the man (described by the Prophet ) should be looked for. The man was brought and I looked at him and noticed that he looked exactly as the Prophet had described him.
Narrated `Ali: I relate the traditions of Allah's Apostle to you for I would rather fall from the sky than attribute something to him falsely. But when I tell you a thing which is between you and me, then no doubt, war is guile. I heard Allah's Apostle saying, In the last days of this world there will appear some young foolish people who will use (in their claim) the best speech of all people (i.e. the Qur'an) and they will abandon Islam as an arrow going through the game. Their belief will not go beyond their throats (i.e. they will have practically no belief), so wherever you meet them, kill them, for he who kills them shall get a reward on the Day of Resurrection.
Narrated Khabbab bin Al-Arat: We complained to Allah's Apostle (of the persecution inflicted on us by the infidels) while he was sitting in the shade of the Ka`ba, leaning over his Burd (i.e. covering sheet). We said to him, Would you seek help for us? Would you pray to Allah for us? He said, Among the nations before you a (believing) man would be put in a ditch that was dug for him, and a saw would be put over his head and he would be cut into two pieces; yet that (torture) would not make him give up his religion. His body would be combed with iron combs that would remove his flesh from the bones and nerves, yet that would not make him abandon his religion. By Allah, this religion (i.e. Islam) will prevail till a traveler from Sana (in Yemen) to Hadrarmaut will fear none but Allah, or a wolf as regards his sheep, but you (people) are hasty.
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet noticed the absence of Thabit bin Qais. A man said, O Allah's Apostle! I shall bring you his news. So he went to him and saw him sitting in his house drooping his head (sadly). He asked Thabit, What's the matter? Thabit replied, An evil situation: A man used to raise his voice over the voice of the Prophet and so all his good deeds have been annulled and he is from the people of Hell. The man went back and told the Prophet that Thabit had said so-and-so. (The sub-narrator, Musa bin Anas said, The man went to Thabit again with glad tidings). The Prophet said to him, Go and say to Thabit: 'You are not from the people of Fire, but from the people of Paradise.
Narrated Al-Bara' bin `Azib: A man recited Surat-al-Kahf (in his prayer) and in the house there was a (riding) animal which got frightened and started jumping. The man finished his prayer with Taslim, but behold! A mist or a cloud hovered over him. He informed the Prophet of that and the Prophet said, O so-and-so! Recite, for this (mist or cloud) was a sign of peace descending for the recitation of Qur'an.
Narrated Al-Bara' bin `Azib: Abu Bakr came to my father who was at home and purchased a saddle from him. He said to `Azib. Tell your son to carry it with me. So I carried it with him and my father followed us so as to take the price (of the saddle). My father said, O Abu Bakr! Tell me what happened to you on your night journey with Allah's Apostle (during Migration). He said, Yes, we travelled the whole night and also the next day till midday. when nobody could be seen on the way ( because of the severe heat) . Then there appeared a long rock having shade beneath it, and the sunshine had not come to it yet. So we dismounted there and I levelled a place and covered it with an animal hide or dry grass for the Prophet to sleep on (for a while). I then said, 'Sleep, O Allah's Apostle, and I will guard you.' So he slept and I went out to guard him. Suddenly I saw a shepherd coming with his sheep to that rock with the same intention we had when we came to it. I asked (him). 'To whom do you belong, O boy?' He replied, 'I belong to a man from Medina or Mecca.' I said, 'Do your sheep have milk?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Will you milk for us?' He said, 'Yes.' He caught hold of a sheep and I asked him to clean its teat from dust, hairs and dirt. (The sub-narrator said that he saw Al-Bara' striking one of his hands with the other, demonstrating how the shepherd removed the dust.) The shepherd milked a little milk in a wooden container and I had a leather container which I carried for the Prophet to drink and perform the ablution from. I went to the Prophet, hating to wake him up, but when I reached there, the Prophet had already awakened; so I poured water over the middle part of the milk container, till the milk was cold. Then I said, 'Drink, O Allah's Apostle!' He drank till I was pleased. Then he asked, 'Has the time for our departure come?' I said, 'Yes.' So we departed after midday. Suraqa bin Malik followed us and I said, 'We have been discovered, O Allah's Apostle!' He said, Don't grieve for Allah is with us.' The Prophet invoked evil on him (i.e. Suraqa) and so the legs of his horse sank into the earth up to its belly. (The subnarrator, Zuhair is not sure whether Abu Bakr said, (It sank) into solid earth. ) Suraqa said, 'I see that you have invoked evil on me. Please invoke good on me, and by Allah, I will cause those who are seeking after you to return.' The Prophet invoked good on him and he was saved. Then, whenever he met somebody on the way, he would say, 'I have looked for him here in vain.' So he caused whomever he met to return. Thus Suraqa fulfilled his promise.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: The Prophet paid a visit to a sick bedouin. The Prophet when visiting a patient used to say, No harm will befall you! May Allah cure you! May Allah cure you! So the Prophet said to the bedouin. No harm will befall you. May Allah cure you! The bedouin said, You say, may Allah cure me? No, for it is a fever which boils in (the body of) an old man, and will lead him to the grave. The Prophet said, Yes, then may it be as you say.
Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-`Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him. Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of it because he had run away from them. They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them. They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the ground).
Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, When Khosrau perishes, there will be no (more) Khosrau after him, and when Caesar perishes, there will be no more Caesar after him. By Him in Whose Hands Muhammad's life is, you will spend the treasures of both of them in Allah's Cause.
Narrated Jabir bin Samura: The Prophet said, When Khosrau perishes, there will be no more Khosrau a after him, and when Caesar perishes, there will be no more Caesar after him, The Prophet also said, You will spend the treasures of both of them in Allah's Cause.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Musailama-al-Kadhdhab (i.e. the liar) came in the life-time of Allah's Apostle with many of his people (to Medina) and said, If Muhammad makes me his successor, I will follow him. Allah's Apostle went up to him with Thabit bin Qais bin Shams; and Allah's Apostle was carrying a piece of a datepalm leaf in his hand. He stood before Musailama (and his companions) and said, If you asked me even this piece (of a leaf), I would not give it to you. You cannot avoid the fate you are destined to, by Allah. If you reject Islam, Allah will destroy you. I think that you are most probably the same person whom I have seen in the dream.
Abu Huraira told me that Allah's Apostle; said, While I was sleeping, I saw (in a dream) two gold bracelets round my arm, and that worried me too much. Then I was instructed divinely in my dream, to blow them off and so I blew them off, and they flew away. I interpreted the two bracelets as symbols of two liars who would appear after me. And so one of them was Al-Ansi and the other was Musailama Al-Kadhdhab from Al-Yamama.
Narrated Abu Musa: The Prophet said, In a dream I saw myself migrating from Mecca to a place having plenty of date trees. I thought that it was Al-Yamama or Hajar, but it came to be Medina i.e. Yathrib. In the same dream I saw myself moving a sword and its blade got broken. It came to symbolize the defeat which the Muslims suffered from, on the Day of Uhud. I moved the sword again, and it became normal as before, and that was the symbol of the victory Allah bestowed upon Muslims and their gathering together. I saw cows in my dream, and by Allah, that was a blessing, and they symbolized the believers on the Day of Uhud. And the blessing was the good Allah bestowed upon us and the reward of true belief which Allah gave us after the day of Badr.
Narrated `Aisha: Once Fatima came walking and her gait resembled the gait of the Prophet . The Prophet said, Welcome, O my daughter! Then he made her sit on his right or on his left side, and then he told her a secret and she started weeping. I asked her, Why are you weeping? He again told her a secret and she started laughing. I said, I never saw happiness so near to sadness as I saw today. I asked her what the Prophet had told her. She said, I would never disclose the secret of Allah's Apostle . When the Prophet died.
I asked her about it. She replied. The Prophet said.) 'Every year Gabriel used to revise the Qur'an with me once only, but this year he has done so twice. I think this portends my death, and you will be the first of my family to follow me.' So I started weeping. Then he said. 'Don't you like to be the mistress of all the ladies of Paradise or the mistress of all the lady believers? So I laughed for that.
Narrated `Aisha: The Prophet in his fatal illness, called his daughter Fatima and told her a secret because of which she started weeping. Then he called her and told her another secret, and she started laughing. When I asked her about that,
She replied, The Prophet told me that he would die in his fatal illness, and so I wept, but then he secretly told me that from amongst his family, I would be the first to join him, and so I laughed.
Narrated Sa`id bin Jubair: About Ibn `Abbas: `Umar bin Al-Khattab used to treat Ibn `Abbas very favorably `Abdur Rahman bin `Auf said to him. We also have sons that are equal to him (but you are partial to him.) `Umar said, It is because of his knowledge. Then `Umar asked Ibn `Abbas about the interpretation of the Verse:- 'When come the Help of Allah and the conquest (of Mecca) (110.1) Ibn `Abbas said. It portended the death of Allah's Apostle, which Allah had informed him of. `Umar said, I do not know from this Verse but what you know.
Narrated Ibn `Abbas: Allah's Apostle in his fatal illness came out, wrapped with a sheet, and his head was wrapped with an oiled bandage. He sat on the pulpit, and praising and glorifying Allah, he said, Now then, people will increase but the Ansar will decrease in number, so much so that they, compared with the people, will be just like the salt in the meals. So, if any of you should take over the authority by which he can either benefit some people or harm some others, he should accept the goodness of their good people (i.e. Ansar) and excuse the faults of their wrong-doers. That was the last gathering which the Prophet attended.
Narrated Abu Bakra: Once the Prophet brought out Al-Hasan and took him up the pulpit along with him and said, This son of mine is a Saiyid (i.e. chief) and I hope that Allah will help him bring about reconciliation between two Muslim groups.
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet had informed us of the death of Ja`far and Zaid before the news of their death reached us, and his eyes were shedding tears.