The increase in harm to people - a sign of the approach of the end of the world
The Prophet said that one of the signs of that the end of the world is approaching is an escalation in evil and spread of violence amongst people. Therefore, it is necessary to exercise patience, as the Prophet bequeathed to his companions, when they asked him for a testament. The Messenger of Allah said, «The End of the World has signs.» One of the companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah , what are its signs?” He replied, «A swelling in the voices of sin (fisq) in mosques and the domination of foul and lost people over the righteous.» Then one of the Bedouins asked, “O Messenger of Allah , what do you command me to do in such a situation?” The Prophet answered, «Renounce the reprobate who are known to you and cling to the truthful that you know to be so and stay at home.»
In another tradition it is said that someone asked the Prophet , “O Prophet of Allah , how do you command us to behave if we are ruled by people who demand of us observance of their own rights and deprive us of our own?” The Prophet replied, “Obey them and submit to them as they want. Truly, the responsibility to observe justice is allocated to them (and if otherwise, the sin for this rests with them), and upon you is placed the responsibility to obey them and submit to them (in the observance of which Almighty Allah will bestow blessed recompense upon you). Render them that which they require of you, even if unjustly, and do not demand of them that they fulfill their obligations to you. If they do not respect your rights, do not fight with them but ask Allah for rewards for what they require of you. They will be requited for what they do and you for what you do.”
The Prophet warned, “You will be governed by rulers who will perform both good deeds and those not corresponding with the Sharia. Whoever rejects their reprehensible deeds is pure from sin for them and whoever is discontented in their hearts with such evil will also be saved. However, those who are satisfied with their conduct and follow them will be accomplices in their sins.» The companions asked, «But do we fight not with them?» The Prophet replied, “No, as long as they perform prayer. As long as they perform prayer! ”
In this hadith, the Prophet has informed us about the rulers of times approaching the end of the world. Some of their deeds will be good and some will be bad. Whoever, with his tongue, can reject their reproachful deeds not in accordance with the Sharia will be cleansed of hypocrisy. Whoever rejects their wicked deeds in his heart will be saved from complicity in their sins. But whoever is content with their evil and follows them in what is unworthy are accomplices in sin and will be punished.
The Messenger of Allah also said, “In the last days (before the Day of Judgment) people will appear whose faces are human but who have devilish hearts. They will be like fierce wolves shedding people’s blood, their hearts will be completely devoid of mercy and they will be a disgusting abomination. If you follow them, they will ride upon you, and if you hide away from view, they will malign you. If they talk with you, they will lie to you and if you trust them, they will betray you. Their children are malign, their youth are devils and their elderly will not call upon you to do good and will not deter you from evil. Striving to gain glory through them is debasement and striving to acquire what they have in their hands is destitution.
For them a meek person is one who has gone astray and is pursuing his desires, one who is truthful is suspect, a true believer is dishonoured and a wicked person is revered. They perceive the Sunna of the Prophet as a harmful innovation and innovation as Sunna. During this period, whoever is in authority over these people will be the worst of all of them. Then the best of them will turn in prayer to Allah but the Lord will not answer them.”
When there are people who violate the agreement with Almighty Allah and His Messenger , the Creator will surely direct enemies against them, who will deprive them of what they possess. When their leader does not rule according to the Book of Almighty Allah, the Lord will plunge them into brutal internecine warfare. The Prophet noted, “May whoever wants to avoid the fire of Hell and enter Paradise meet the hour of his death in faith in Allah and the Day of Judgment. And let him relate to others the way he wants them to relate to him.»
A person does not know what the outcome of his life’s journey will be; whether he will leave this world in faith or not. Whether the end of life will be happy or illfated, only Almighty Allah Almighty knows. However, the purpose of that presented above is the perfection of a person which may serve as the reason for his good ending and death in faith in Allah and the Day of Judgment. As is said in a hadith, “A person dies in the state in which he lived. Each slave on the Day of Judgment will be resurrected in that state in which he left this world.»
Therefore, a slave needs to have a good perception of Almighty Allah, believing that He will bestow upon him a blessed outcome of his life’s journey, while at the same time he must adhere to those ways that enable him to do this. He should also endure harm done by others and treat them as he himself would want to be treated.
It is proper for him to do good to others; as the Prophet said, “All people are wards of Allah, and for the Creator the most beloved of them is he who is most beneficial to His wards.” The Prophet himself guarantees such a person that Almighty Allah will distance him from the fire of Hell and admit him to Paradise.
The Prophet also said, “The Day of Judgment will not come until two large groups fight each other. There will be a great conflict between them. Each side will summon others to the same cause (that is, to Islam) and each side will believe that it is right. Also, then about 30 dajjals - false messiahs will appear, each of whom will assert that he is the messenger of Allah.
And then true religious knowledge will disappear, earthquakes will increase in number, time will pass faster, afflictions will appear, turmoil and killings will increase and your wealth will increase so much so that, because of its abundance, a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his charitable donations (zakat and sadaqa), and, even if he finds such a person, the latter will tell him, “I have no need of it.” And then people will compete in constructing tall houses and when a person, when passing by the grave of another, will say, «Oh, would that I were in your place!»
The blessing in the patient dismissal of harm
A hypocrite is a person who complains much, brings little benefit to others and argues a lot. Righteous predecessors bequeathed guidance to their followers that they patiently endure harm from others. One of them said to his student, «Endure the bite of a mosquito and a scorpion so that you can bear harm from others.» Once he saw a murid killing a mosquito, and said to him, “How can you aim to take the path of the tariqat - the path of people close to Allah, while satisfying the desire of your anger by killing a mosquito and not enduring its bite?» One of the sheikhs said, «The most magnificent virtue of a murid is the maintenance of respect for the brothers in faith, to treat them well and not to have any store of clothes, food or money.»
When the righteous ash-Shibli , who was in the hospital, was visited by a group of people, he asked them, «Who are you?» They answered, «Visitors who love you.» Then he began to throw stones at them and they fled. And he said, “O liars, if you loved me, you would have patiently reacted to being harmed by me!” One of the righteous said. “If you are able not to get angry with something that is worldly, then do so.”
From the book “Virtues of the Righteous” by Sheikh Ahmad-Afandi Mufti Dagestan
