Masruq narrates: Once, a man was narrating a hadith in Kindah that on the Day of Resurrection, smoke will come and it will seize the hearing and sight of the hypocrites, while the believer will feel it like a mild cold. The narrator says: We became worried by this statement, then I went to the service of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (and told him this). He was sitting reclining at first. He became angry. Then he sat up straight. He said: O people! Whoever has knowledge about something should state it accordingly, and whoever does not have knowledge should say that Allah knows best, because part of knowledge is that a person, regarding what he does not know, should say: I do not know. Indeed, Allah Almighty said to His Prophet (peace be upon him):“Say: I do not ask you for any reward for it, nor am I of those who fabricate.”

(Then Sayyiduna Abdullah explained:) The Prophet (peace be upon him) supplicated against the Quraysh. He prayed:“O Allah, help me against these people with seven years (of famine) like the years of Yusuf (peace be upon him).”(Sayyiduna Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates) So those people were seized by famine, until they began to perish during that famine. They began to eat carrion and even bones. If any of them looked towards the sky, he would see something like smoke. Abu Sufyan bin Harb came to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He said: O Muhammad (peace be upon you)! You have come to command the joining of ties of kinship, while your people are perishing. Pray to Allah for them. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) recited this verse:“Then watch for the Day when the sky will bring a visible smoke, enveloping the people; this will be a painful punishment.”The verse continues:“If We remove the punishment a little, you will revert (to disbelief).”When that punishment came, Allah removed it from them, but they reverted to disbelief. This is what is meant by Allah’s statement:“The Day We will seize with the greatest seizure.”This refers to the Battle of Badr.“Then there will be a lasting punishment”—this refers to the Battle of Badr. (The statement of Allah Almighty:)“Alif Lam Meem. The Romans have been defeated in the nearest land, but they, after their defeat, will overcome.”(Then Sayyiduna Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, said:) The miracle regarding the Romans has occurred, and the other four (miracles) have also passed.