It is narrated from Hazrat Hudhaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) that once he came from Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). He says: Yesterday, when we were sitting with him, he asked the noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them), "Who among you has heard the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding tribulations (fitan)?" The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said, "We have all heard it." Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "Perhaps you are thinking of the tribulation which concerns a man's family and wealth?" The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) replied, "Yes!" Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I am not asking you about that. Its expiation is prayer, fasting, and charity. Has anyone among you heard the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding those tribulations which will spread like the waves of the sea?" At this, the people fell silent, and I realized that they wanted to get the answer from me. So I said, "I have heard that saying." Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to me, "Surely, you must have heard it." I said, "Tribulations will be presented before the hearts just as a mat is woven, straw by straw. Any heart that absorbs them will have a black dot placed upon it, and any heart that rejects them will have a white dot placed upon it, until the hearts become of two kinds: one white like a pure stone, which no tribulation will harm as long as the heavens and the earth remain; and the other black and dark, like an overturned vessel, not recognizing good as good nor evil as evil, except what its desires incline towards."