পৃষ্ঠা 330: উপসংহার: কিয়ামতের চূড়ান্ত মহাপ্রলয় ও হাশরের ময়দানের ভয়াবহতা

...trustworthiness and its being taken away. There is no doubt that Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him) witnessed the deterioration of trustworthiness after this tribulation, which is why he said: 'As for today, I would not transact business except with so-and-so and so-and-so.'

Fourth: The hadiths regarding the emergence of falsehood; as in the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ): 'I enjoin upon you my Companions, then those who follow them, then those who follow them; thereafter, falsehood will spread...' to the end of the hadith.

Muslim recorded that he said: 'Bushayr ibn Ka'b came to Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) and began narrating, saying: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said.' However, Ibn 'Abbas did not grant permission to his narration nor did he look at him. Bushayr said: 'O Ibn 'Abbas, why is it that I do not see you listening to my narration? I am narrating to you from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), yet you do not listen!'

Thereupon Ibn 'Abbas said: 'Once upon a time, whenever we heard a man say: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said,' our gazes would hasten toward him and we would lend our ears attentively to him. But when people began to ride both the unruly and the docile (i.e., heedlessly embarking on all manner of narrations, sound or dubious), we ceased accepting from people anything except that which we recognized.'

There is no doubt that the early era of Ibn 'Abbas was a time of trustworthiness, whereas after the tribulation, it was a time when people embarked upon both the unruly and the docile.

Fifth: Their excessive pedantry in perfecting the vocalization of the words of the Qur'an while neglecting its meanings, as reported in narrations carrying this meaning.

Sixth: Their deep indulgence in interpreting the ambiguous verses (mutashabihat) of the Qur'an, which has been explicitly prohibited.

Seventh: Their delving deeply into hypothetical jurisprudential scenarios, which the righteous predecessors (al-Salaf) strictly avoided.

Eighth: The emergence of disputatious questions concerning theological matters (Ilahiyyat).

Ninth: The prevalence of narrations originating from the Israelites (Isra'iliyyat) and the People of the Book.

Tenth: The emergence of invented litanies and devotional rituals seeking proximity to Allah the Exalted.

Eleventh: Their audacity in delivering sermons and issuing formal legal opinions (fatwas), something from which the Salaf used to refrain.

Twelfth: The occurrence of infighting among Muslims; as the Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'Verily, just before the Hour there will be Harj (killing and turmoil)...' to the end of the hadith, and what carries a similar meaning.