`Abdallah b. Hawala said:God's messenger sent us on foot to get spoil, but we returned without getting any. When he saw the signs of distress on our faces, he stood up among us and said, "0 God, do not put them under my care, for I would be too weak to care for them; do not put them in care of themselves, for they would be incapable of that; and do not put them in the care of men, for they would choose the best things for themselves." He then placed his hand on my head and said, "Ibn Hawala, when you see the Caliphate has settled in the holy land, earthquakes, sorrows and serious matters will have drawn near, and on that day the last hour will be nearer to mankind than this hand of mine is to your head." . . .transmitted it [*] . *The name of the source is omitted in the text. The tradition is in Ahmad b. Hanbal, Musnad (Cairo, 1313), vol. 5 p. 288, and Abu Dawud, Jihad, 35.