The Book of Tribulations – Kitāb al-fitan pdf download

The Book of Tribulations – Translation of Nu`aym b. Ḥammād al-Marwazī, Kitāb al-fitan The Syrian Muslim Apocalyptic Tradition’ Book Subtitle: An Annotated Translation by Nu’aym b. Hammad al-Marwazi edited by David Cook

THE BOOK OF TRIBULATIONS

What was related by the Messenger of God and his Companions after him concerning the Tribulations to come

Book Sample

1.         Abū Sa`īd al-Khudarī:1 The Messenger of God led us in the afternoon prayer in the day, then spoke to us until the sun went down. He did not leave out anything that was to happen until the Day of Resurrection—whoever remembered it, remembered it, whoever forgot it, forgot it.

2.         `Abdallāh b. `Umar: The Messenger of God said: “God raised this world up for me, so that I could gaze upon it, and upon everything that will happen until the Day of Resurrection, just as I can gaze upon my palm—a revelation (jillyān)3 from God, revealed to His Prophet, just as He revealed it to the previous prophets.” [14]

3.         Ḥudhayfa b. al-Yamān4: I am the most knowledgeable of the people concerning every tribulation that will happen until the Day of Resurrection. It is not that the Messenger of God would confide in me that which he did not tell to others, but the Messenger of God would tell an assembly, teaching them con-cerning the tribulations which were to come, both small and great, but that group has all departed [died] other than me.

4.         Ḥudhayfa b. al-Yamān: The Messenger of God said: “Tribulations will come like the falling of dark-night, each one following the other, coming upon you in a similar fashion, like the faces of cattle, until you do not know which is which.”

5.         Ḥudhayfa b. al-Yamān: These tribulations have overshadowed [us], like the foreheads of cattle. Most people will perish in them, other than those who know of them from previously.

6.         Abū Hurayra5: The Messenger of God said: “When the time draws near, the black she-camel (al-shuruf al-jawn)6 will kneel next to you, tribulations like the falling of dark-night.”

7.         Kurz b. `Alqama al-Khuzā`ī7: A man said to the Messenger of God: “Does Islam have an end?” He said: “Yes. Any family from the Arabs or the non-Arabs (`ajam) to which God wishes well, He will cause to enter Islam.” He said: “Then what?” He said: “Then tribulations like they were clouds.” He said: “By no means, if God wills!” He [Muḥammad] said: “Yes, and by the One whom my soul is in His hands, then you will return during them [tribulations] to being snakes (asāwid) striking, cutting each other’s necks off.” Al-Zuhrī8 said: An aswad (sing. of asāwid) is a snake which when it bites, it springs forward,9 lifts its head, and then strikes. (1) [15]

8.         Abū Mūsā al-Asha`rī10: The Messenger of God said: “There will be killing (haraj)11 before the Hour.” They said: “What is haraj?” He said: “Killing and lying.” They said: “O Messenger of God, killing more than the unbelievers who are killed now?” He said: “This will not be your killing the unbelievers, it will be a man killing his neighbor, his brother and his cousin.”

9.         Usayyid b. al-Mutashammis b. Mu`āwiya12: I heard Abū Mūsā say: There will be killing and haraj with regard to the people of Islam before the Hour, such that a man will kill his grandfa-ther, his cousin, his father, and his brother. By God, I fear that it will envelope you and me!

10.       Abū Mūsā: After you there will be tribulations like the falling of dark-night, in which a man will wake up a believer, but go to bed an unbeliever, or go to bed a believer, and wake up an unbeliever.

11.       Mujāhid13: The Messenger of God said: Before the Hour there are tribulations like the falling of dark-night, in which a man will go to bed a believer, but wake up an unbeliever, or go to bed a believer and wake up an unbeliever. Some of them will sell their religion for a paltry amount of this world. (2)

12.       Ibn `Umar: The Messenger of God said: The tribulation is a terrible thing in the land of God, it treads on its halter. It is not permitted for anyone to inflame it—woe to the one who takes up its halter.

13.       `Abdallāh b. `Amr14: You will see nothing in this world but trial and tribulation, and matters will only get worse.

14.       Ḥudhayfa: “There is absolutely no stirrer of dissension, whose [group] reaches 300 men, who I could not name by his name and his [16] father’s name, and his dwelling until the Day of Resurrection—all of this the Messenger of God taught me.” They said: “Exactly?” He said: “Or approximately, so that the jurists would know them.” Or he said: “the learned (`ulama’). You used to ask the Messenger of God concerning the good, but I would ask him about the evil. You would ask him about what was, I would ask him about what would be.”

15.       Ḥudhayfa: I heard the Messenger of God say: 300 men will emerge in my community, with them 300 banners, known, and their tribes are known, seeking the face of God, but being killed in [the state of] error.

16.       Ḥudhayfa: If I were to tell you of all that I know you would not guard me during the night.

17.       `Abdallāh b. `Amr: You will continue in trial and tribulation, and the matter will only get worse. When the ruler does not rule for the sake of God, and the client (al-mawlā) does not fulfill his obedience to God, then you are on the verge of God’s disapproval—and God’s disapproval is worse than the  people’s disapproval.

18.       Abū Idrīs15: I was with Abū Șāliḥ16 and Abū Muslim,17 and one of them said: [32] to his companion, “Do you fear anything?” They said: “We fear pursuit.” So I said: “Only the people of the end-times will experience pursuit.” They said: “You are right, but there is never theft without there being pursuit. No theft (nahb) has happened to people greater than that of