Chapter 5: The Manifestation and Outbreak of Tribulations

"...[worship during] al-harj is like an emigration (hijrah) to me," transmitted by Muslim. The author of al-Muhkam mentioned other meanings for al-harj, totaling nine: severity of killing, abundance of killing, widespread confusion and intermixing, turmoil (fitnah) at the end of time, excessive copulation, abundance of falsehood, excessive sleep, disordered and unregulated dreams during sleep, and the lack of mastery or proficiency in anything. Al-Jawhari stated: "The fundamental meaning of al-harj is an excess in something, meaning to the extent that it can no longer be distinguished." His statement in the narration of Wasil: "and I think he attributed it back (to the Prophet (ﷺ))" - in the narration of al-Qawariri from Ghundar, there is the addition: "to the Prophet (ﷺ)," recorded by al-Isma'ili, and similarly transmitted by Ahmad from Ghundar. Muhammad, the shaykh of al-Bukhari here, is left unascribed among most transmitters, but Abu Dharr identified him in his transmission as Muhammad ibn Bashshar. His statement: "And Abu 'Awanah said from 'Asim" - he is Ibn Abi al-Nujud, the renowned Quranic reciter. And I found another chain of transmission with the same meaning for Abu 'Awanah from 'Asim, recorded by Ibn Abi Khaythamah from 'Affan and Abu al-Walid, both of them from Abu 'Awanah, from 'Asim, from Shaqiq, from 'Urwah ibn Qays, from Khalid ibn al-Walid, wherein he recounted a narrative that included: "Those days which the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned before the Hour are the days of al-harj." In it, he mentioned that the fitnah will be so bewildering and astounding that a person will search to see if he can find any place upon which it has not descended, yet he will find none. Zaidah concurred with him regarding the latter hadith of Ibn Mas'ud; it was recorded by al-Tabarani through his route from 'Asim, from Shaqiq, from 'Abdullah: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Indeed, among the worst of people are those whom the Hour overtakes while they are still alive...'" to the end of the hadith. His statement: "that he said to 'Abdullah" - meaning Ibn Mas'ud - "'Do you know the days that he mentioned?' up to his words 'similar to it,'" meaning similar to the mentioned hadith: "Before the Hour there will be days of al-harj." Al-Tabarani narrated it through the route of Zaidah from 'Asim, restricting it to the marfu' hadith of Ibn Mas'ud without the accompanying narrative. In the collections of Ahmad and Ibn Majah, in the narration of al-Hasan al-Basri from Usayd ibn al-Mutashammis from Abu Musa, there is an addition in the marfu' text: "A man asked: O Messenger of Allah, in a single year we kill such and such number of polytheists. He replied: 'It is not by your killing of the polytheists, but rather by your killing one another...'" to the end of the hadith. His statement: "And Ibn Mas'ud said," this is through the aforementioned chain of transmission. His statement: "Among the worst of people are those whom the Hour overtakes while they are alive" - Ibn Battal said: "Even though this wording appears general, the intended meaning is specific. It signifies that the Hour will be established, in most and dominant cases, over the most evil of people, as evidenced by his statement: 'A group of my Ummah will remain steadfast upon the truth until the Hour is established.' This report indicates that the Hour will also be established while there are still people of virtue." I say: What he asserted is not definitive, for there has been transmitted evidence supporting the stated generality, such as the marfu' statement in the hadith of Ibn Mas'ud as well: "The Hour will not be established except upon the most evil of people," transmitted by Muslim. Muslim also recorded from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, attributed to the Prophet (ﷺ): "Allah will send a wind from Yemen softer than silk, leaving not a single person in whose heart is even the weight of an atom of faith but that it takes his soul." And Muslim also recorded at the end of the lengthy hadith of al-Nawwas ibn Sam'an concerning the narrative of the Dajjal, 'Isa, and Gog and Magog: "when Allah sends a fragrant wind, which seizes the soul of every believer and Muslim, leaving only the worst of people copulating or fighting openly like donkeys, and upon them the Hour will be established." Scholars differed regarding the meaning of his saying: "yataharijun"; it was said to mean engaging in public sexual intercourse like beasts, and it was said to mean rebelling and leaping violently at one another. What is evident is that here it bears the meaning of killing one another, or even broader than that. Supporting the interpretation of fratricidal killing is the hadith of this chapter. Muslim also recorded: "The Hour will not be established upon anyone saying: Allah, Allah," and in Ahmad's version: "upon anyone saying: La ilaha illa Allah." Reconciling this with the hadith: "A group will remain..." is achieved by interpreting the culmination in the hadith of the "steadfast group" as referring to the time of the blowing of the fragrant, gentle wind that takes the soul of every believer and Muslim, so that none remain except the wicked, and the Hour suddenly falls upon them, as will be elaborated shortly.