Abdullah bin Shaqiq says: A man from the tribe of Anzah named Zaidah or Mazeedah bin Hawalah narrated, he says: We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, the people stopped at a place, and the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also sat under a large tree. I was returning after finishing some work when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, saw me. Only the scribe (the one who writes) was with him. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: O Ibn Hawalah! Should your name also be written? I said: O Messenger of Allah! In what regard? Then he did not give me any answer and turned towards the scribe. When I came closer, he again said: O Ibn Hawalah! Should your name also be written? I said: O Messenger of Allah! In what regard? He did not give me any answer and turned towards the scribe. Meanwhile, I came very close to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and saw that at the beginning of the writing, the names of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, and Sayyiduna Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, were written. Seeing this, I realized that their names must have been written for some good purpose. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then said: Ibn Hawalah! Should we write your name as well? I said: Yes, O Prophet of Allah! Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: Ibn Hawalah! What will you do during that tribulation which will spread around the land like the horns of a cow? I said: O Messenger of Allah! You, peace and blessings be upon him, tell me what I should do during that time? He said: You should go to the land of Sham (Greater Syria). Then the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: What will you do during that tribulation which will arise soon after the first tribulation, like the leap of a rabbit? Sayyiduna Zaidah, may Allah be pleased with him, says: I do not remember what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the second tribulation, but if I had remembered what he, peace and blessings be upon him, said about the second tribulation, it would have been more beloved to me than so many treasures.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Burdah (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: I passed by the place of Rabdhah, where a tent was pitched. I asked,“Whose tent is this?”Someone said,“This is the tent of Muhammad bin Maslamah (may Allah be pleased with him).”So I sought permission to enter the tent and went inside. I said,“May Allah’s mercy be upon you, what are you doing in this wilderness? It would have been better if you had stayed among the people and enjoined good upon them and forbade them from evil.”He said,“The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Soon there will be tribulation, discord, and differences, and if such circumstances arise, then take your sword and strike it against this Uhud mountain until it becomes blunt, break your arrow, cut the string of your bow, and sit in your house.”Now, this has happened (that is why I am sitting here). In another narration it is stated:“Strike your sword against the mountain and break it, then sit in your house until either a tyrant enters your house or Allah keeps you safe.”Whatever the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said has come to pass, and I have acted upon what he commanded me. Then he had the sword hanging from the pole of the tent taken down, but when it was drawn from its sheath, it was a wooden sword. Then he said:“I have broken my sword in obedience to the command of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and I have kept this only to frighten people.”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Dhu Asabi’ (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: O Messenger of Allah! If after you we live long enough that our trials begin, then to which place would you command us to go? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Go to Bayt al-Maqdis, for it is possible that your offspring will increase there and they will be able to go to the mosque morning and evening.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) rode on a donkey and seated me behind him, and said: O Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), what do you think, if people are afflicted with a severe trial of hunger and you do not even have the strength to go from your bed to the mosque, then what will you do? He said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace be upon him) said: In such circumstances, refrain from asking anyone for anything. He then asked: Abu Dharr! What do you think, if death becomes so widespread among people that a grave is obtained in exchange for a slave, then what will you do? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: In such circumstances, be patient. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) further asked: Abu Dharr! What do you think, if people start killing each other and so much blood is shed that the place of Hijarat al-Zayt is submerged in blood, then what will you do? I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sit inside your house and keep the door closed. I said: What if I am still not left alone? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then go to your people and stay among them. I said: Should I take up my weapon? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: If you take up your weapon, then you will also become a participant in the people's fighting. Your situation should be such that when you begin to fear the flash of the sword, then cover your face with your sheet, so that (the killer) returns with his own and your sin.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin Aas (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: What will be your condition when you remain among lowly people? I said: O Messenger of Allah! When will such circumstances arise? He said: When dishonesty enters into the promises and trusts of the Muslims, and they will become like this. Yunus, the narrator, explained this by interlacing his fingers. I said: O Messenger of Allah! What should I do at that time? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Keep fearing Allah, do good deeds, refrain from wrong actions, take care of your specific people, and avoid the general people.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A time will come upon the people when they will be scrutinized in such a way that only the lowly and worthless people will remain. Deceit will enter into their promises and trusts, and they will differ among themselves and become like this." The narrator interlaced his fingers. The Companions said: "O Messenger of Allah! What will be the way out of such circumstances?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do good deeds, avoid evil deeds, pay attention to specific people, and leave the affairs of the common people."

Rabi’ says: I heard a man at the funeral of Sayyiduna Hudhayfah bin Yaman (may Allah be pleased with him) saying: I heard the man lying on this bier narrate, he once said: After hearing a hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), I do not feel any discomfort; if you fight among yourselves, I will enter my house, and if anyone (an oppressor) enters my house, I will say: Here you go (kill me), and then return with your sin and mine.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: After me, soon there will be differences and the like; if you have the ability to keep away from them, then do so.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, who says: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say: "A time will come upon you when a person will be given a choice between two things: either he endures (people's taunts, reproach, and oppression) or he becomes a partner in sin. Whoever reaches such a time, let him endure (the taunts and reproach) rather than become a partner in sin."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Before the Day of Judgment, there will be tribulations like pieces of a dark night descending, (and the situation will become so severe that) a man will be a believer in the morning, but by evening he will have become a disbeliever. Similarly, a man will be a believer in the evening, but by morning he will have become a disbeliever. In such circumstances, the one who is sitting will be better than the one who is standing, the one who is standing will be better than the one who is walking, and the one who is walking will be better than the one who is running towards that tribulation, i.e., taking part in it. In such circumstances, you should break your bows, cut their strings, and strike your swords on stones to break them, and if an oppressor enters your house and commits excesses, then you should become like the better son of Adam (peace be upon him).