Alhamdulillah surely all praises are for Allah Ta’ala for He has indeed been very kind and merciful to us and He has favoured us to be from among the Muslims. My dear readers, as we draw closer to the Final Hour, many fitnas (trials) and evils are becoming increasingly rampant everyday in the world. The Prophet (S.A) in many traditions prophesized about the great trials and disorders which will occur during the ending times of the world. Our present condition today, bears testimony to this prophecy of the Holy Prophet (S.A) who said: “No doubt I am beholding such disorders as will fall soon on your dwellings like the rains.” (Bukhari)

This hadith appears, as if the Holy Prophet (S.A) was himself beholding this present time surrounded by disorders and calamities, a time in which the Muslims are engaged among themselves in wrongs and tyrannies, quarreling and fighting, civil wars, etc. On the contrary, the disbelievers, the Jews, the Christians and the idolaters stand united in enmity against the Muslims. This corroborates the truth of a Hadith in which the Prophet (S.A) said: “It will not be long when different nations hailing from different parts of the world will become united on enmity with you in such a way as hungry people rush towards a dinning cloth.” The Holy Prophet (S.A) was asked: ‘O Prophet of Allah! Will this happen, because of our small number?’ The Holy Prophet (S.A) replied: “No, but you shall become like the foam of flood water. Your hearts will have become weak, and fear for you will be taken away from the hearts of the enemies. You will begin to love the world and hate death.” (Abu Dawood)

Hazrat Huzaifah bin Yamaan (R.A.) has narrated: While people used to ask the Holy Prophet (S.A) about good things, I used to ask him about trials and disorders, because I feared lest I should be caught in trials and disorders. Hazrat Huzaifah (R.A.) himself has narrated: “I said to the Holy Prophet (S.A) that we were ignorant before the advent of Islam and professed Shirk (polytheism). Thereafter, we were enabled by Almighty Allah to embrace Islam and we came to virtues after giving up vices and sins. Is it possible that we shall fall back into vices after having come to virtues? The Holy Prophet (S.A) replied in the affirmative. Then I asked: Shall any virtue ever follow that vice? The Holy Prophet (S.A) replied: There will be virtue with some mixture of vice. I asked the nature of that vice. The Holy Prophet (S.A) replied: The people will not follow the model of my life, some of their deeds will be good and some will be bad. I asked: O Prophet of Allah! If these trials and disorders rise during our lives, what should we do? He (S.A) replied: Hold fast to the party of the Muslims and their Imam (Leader). I asked: what should we do, if there is neither a party nor any Imam? The Holy Prophet (S.A) replied, saying: Keep yourself away from all (misguided) sects. In such a crisis if you are forced to eat roots of trees, do eat roots till death overtakes you.”

Another great trial which the Prophet (S.A) warned us about is that murder will become rampant and people will not even know why they were killed. It is narrated by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said: “By that Being (Allah) in Whose hands is my soul, the world will not come to its end unless a day comes in which the murderer shall not know why he committed murder, nor shall the victim know why he was murdered. They asked the Holy Prophet (S.A) how it shall happen. He (S.A) replied: This will be due to Haraj, i.e. disorder and mischief during which the murderer and the murdered one shall both enter Hell.”

There is another narration from Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A) stating that the Holy Prophet (S.A) said: “The ages shall come closer and knowledge shall be taken away (from the people) and disorders and mischiefs shall rise, miserliness shall spread and disorder shall be on the increase. The Holy Prophet (S.A) was asked: What is Haraj (disorder). He (S.A) replied: It is murder.”

Hazrat Ali Abi Talib (R.A) has narrated that the Holy Prophet (S.A) said: When fourteen habits are born in my Ummat, calamities will begin to descend on them. When the companions asked about the calamities, the Holy Prophet (S.A) explained saying:

1. When public property is misappropriated as personal property;
   
   
2. Deposit in trust is taken as war booty;
   
   
3. Zakaat (obligatory alms) is regarded as a penalty;
   
   
4. Husbands begin to obey their wives;
   
   
5. Sons disobey their mothers;
   
   
6. People do good to their friends and oppress their parents;
   
   
7. Noise is created in Mosques;
   
   
8. The meanest fellow of the community becomes the leader;
   
   
9. A man is respected for fear of his wickedness;
   
   
10. Intoxicants and narcotics come into use openly;
    
    
11. Men begin to wear silk garments;
    
    
12. Musical instruments are in general use;
    
    
13. Dancing and merry-making parties are held everywhere;
    
    
14. The people living in the ensuing times curse the bygone elders and saints.
    

In such a situation the people should wait for the descent of divine punishment. This may be either in the form of red windstorm, earthquake or the distortion of their shapes like the Sabbath-Breakers (Tirmizi).

My dear readers, we ourselves can bear witness that all these fourteen signs are already present in the world today and we are also witnessing the punishment of Allah descending in the form of storms, tsunamis and earthquakes in many parts of the world. We are indeed very close to the Final Hour and we are living in a time where evil has become uncontrollable. We must protect our Imaan by every means possible as the Prophet (S.A) advised Hazrat Huzaifah (R.A) that even if you are forced to eat roots then do that. May Allah protect us from all these trials and keep us on the straight path. Ameen.