What Trials and Tribulations are expected to break out in the future?:
The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has, therefore, informed the future generations of the events that shall occur in their times. Accordingly all books of Ahadith contain permanent chapters on Trials. In the Chapters all such Ahadith have been collated in which the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has informed of, and warned the people against, the tribulations expected to occur in the future. The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has said in a Hadith:
In the future trials will fall down into your houses like the falling down of the drops of rain water.
These trials have been compared to the drops of rain water because the trials will fall down on your houses in an unbroken succession one after another.
The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has said in another Hadith:
Very soon trials and tribulations will appear which will be like dark nights.
In other words, just as a man is not able to find his way in dark nights in the same way during these blinding trials people will not know what to do and where to go Those trials will encompass the entire society, leaving no place of shelter for the people. The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) also taught the people a supplication to find refuge with Allah from these trials:
O Allah, we seek refuge with You from these apparent or hidden trials. This supplication was included in the Prophet's daily routine.
What is a Trial?:
We should now try to understand the meaning of (Trial). we should also try to find out the teachings of the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) for all of us to obey in order to remain safe from the harms of these trials. We are not aware of the real implications of this term, although we use it from morning till evening. This word has also been used in the Holy Qur'an many times. It has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an at one place meaning that:
"... The creation of a trial is more grievous sin than murder...."
The meaning of Trial:
The word (fitna or fitnah ) is an Arabic word the dictionary meaning of which is to find out the purity or impurity of precious metals like gold or silver by melting it on fire. Melting the metal on fire discloses the reality. For the same reason, it is also used to mean testing and examining something. Thus, a second meaning of this word is "trial". When hardships and misfortunes descend on a man his real worth and character are tested by his conduct and behavior under these trying situations. It is observed whether he bears these trying hours, days with patience makes a fuss and raises hues and cries. this testing is also called (Trial).
The word (Trial) as used in the Ahadith:
The word (Trial) has been used in the Ahadith to express a situation at any time. When the truth is obscure and it becomes very difficult to distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong and truth and falsehood. When such a situation arises, it is said that it is a time of trial. It is also a time of trial when sins, crimes and disobedience become rampant. In the same way to regard falsehood as truth and truth as falsehood and to put forward something as a proof which is not proof; these are forms of (Trial). For example, if you tell a person that such an act is unlawful and strictly prohibited, the person shall reply that the entire society, the whole world including Saudi Arabia is doing this act. In our times it has become a common practice that when an objection is raised to any act, the doer at once replies that he has seen the same act being done in the Saudi Arabia. This is also a (trial) to put forward some act or practice as a proof which is not at all a proof. In the same way we find that many groups and parties have sprung up in the city, each with its slogan and tenet and it is difficult to decide which is on the right path and which is on the wrong path. Truth and falsehood have thus become mixed up. All these fall within the definition of (Trial).
A quarrel between two parties is a (Trial):
It is also a case of trial when two Muslims or two Muslim groups fall out with each other so violently that they are ready to shed blood and commit murder and it is not known which of the two is right and which is wrong.
The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) is reported to have said in a Hadith
When two Muslims begin to fight With each other with their swords, the murderer as well as the murdered will both enter Hell-Fire.
One of the Companions (RA) said to the Holy Prophet O Messenger of Allah (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) It is understandable that the murderer shall go to Hell for murdering a Muslim, but why shall the murdered shall enter Hell? The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) replied, saying: The murdered will enter Hell because he too had come out to fight with the intention of murdering his opponent but he did not succeed in his intention but his opponent succeeded in his intention. None of the two was fighting in the cause of Allah, but worldly benefit in the form of money or some political benefit. Both will, therefore, enter Hell.
Killing and robbing are Trial:
The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) said in another Hadith:
A time will come upon the people when there will be a great deal of a (confusion/disturbance). on being asked about he (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) answered: It is killing and robbing, i.e., in those days these crimes will increase by leaps and bounds and human life will become meaner than that of mosquitoes and flies.
The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has said in another Hadith:
A time will come upon the people in which the killer will not know why he killed the victim nor will the victim killed know why he was killed.
Look at the conditions obtaining today in the society which fully confirms the truth of the Holy Prophet's (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) prediction. This is as if the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) was seeing these conditions with his own eyes.
In the olden days it was not known who was the killer, but it could be known why the victim was killed, i.e., he was killed by robbers for robbing the victim of his money? or by enemies. Anyway, the cause of the murder became known. What is happening now-a-days? A man is sitting or standing in front of his door, he has no enemies, he is not involved in politics yet some hooligan shoots at him and kills him without any apparent cause. The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has predicted all these events in clear words:
A Hadith about the Holy City of Makkah:
It is narrated by Sayyidn'a Abdullah bin Umar (RA) that the Holy Propeht (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) said:
Until recently the people were not able to understand the real meaning of this Hadith, but now the meaning has become quite clear to them. The hadith may be translated as under:
When the belly of Makkah will be cleft open and through it will be dug out river-like passage (i.e. tunnels) and the buildings of the Holy City of Makkah will rise higher than its mountains when you observe these signs, then understand that the time of ? (Trial) is near at hand.
The cleaving asunder of the belly of the Holy City of Makkah:
This Hadith has continued on records of the last fourteen centuries. The commentators of the Hadith felt baffled, while explaining this Hadith as they could not understand how belly of' the Holy City of Makkah could be cleft asunder nor could they understand the meaning of digging out river like passages. It was really very difficult to imagine the sense of all these predictions. But by seeing today's Makkah one feels that the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) made these predictions, as if he e was actually seeing with his own eyes today's Makkahtul-Mukarramah. Previously the commentators (Muhaddithin) interpreted this Hadith by saying that in their times Makkah was a dry and mountainous city, but in some future age Allah may cause rivers and canals to flow in that city. However today one feels by seeing these (underground) tunnels how the belly of Makkah has been cleft asunder:
Rising of building higher than mountains:
The other sentence which the Holy Prophet spoke out in this Hadith is that the buildings of the Holy City of Makkah will rise higher than its mountains. A few years ago none could imagine that buildings would be built in Makkah which would rise higher than its mountains, as the city was surrounded by mountains on all sides. But go to Makkah and see for yourself how (high-rise) buildings higher than mountains have been built there.
It appears from this Hadith, as if fourteen centuries ago the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) had seen these changes and conditions with his own eyes. All these things had been shown to him clearly through revelations and light of Prophetic knowledge which Allah had granted him The Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has clearly mentioned one by one what trials and tribulations the Muslims will have to face in the times to come. He has also mentioned simultaneously what the Muslims should do at such a time.
The present era in the light of the Ahadith:
Every Muslim should keep in view those Ahadith in which the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) a has predicted the future events. Maulana Muhammad Yusuf Ludhyanawi Sahib (RA) has compiled a book titled "The Present Era in the Light of the Ahadith" He has tried to gather together in this book all the ahadith about the Trials. He has included in this book a Hadith in which the Holy Prophet (Sallaho Alaihe Wassallam) has mentioned seventy-two events which will occur during the Era of the Trials. I advise you to read them one by one and see how these events exactly agree to those taking place in our times and in our environments.
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