In The Name of Allaah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

The Messenger of Allaah [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] and what has been reported from him is the authority to which one must return in order to understand this affair regarding trials and tribulations; therefore, one cannot return to the following affairs: the narrations of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), opinions and dreams, weak and fabricated narrations, analogy, political, economic or socialist analysis, because the narrations regarding the trials and tribulations, the portents of the Hour and what is to take place of strife are from the (affairs) of the Religion, and the Religion is Tawqeefee (i.e. its source can only be established from the divine texts of the Qur’aan and the authentic Sunnah). So, all that is reported from the Prophet with sound chains of transmission concerning (affairs) that are to take place, then it is obligated on every Muslim to have faith in it, whether it appeals to his intellect or not. And this is the reality of one’s testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah. Allaah (The Most High) said:

وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَىٰ

Nor does he (Muhammad) speak of (his own) desire. It is only an Inspiration that is inspired. [Surah An-Najm. Aayah 3]

And Allaah (The Most High) said: [وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُو – And whatsoever the Messenger (Muhammad) gives you, take it, and whatsoever he forbids you, abstain (from it)].[Surah Al-Hashr. Aayah 7]

Umar [may Allaah be pleased with him] reported: One day while we were sitting with Allaah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the prophet. Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said:”O Muhammad, tell me about Islam”. The messenger of Allah said: “Islam is to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so.” He said: “You have spoken rightly’’ And we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly. He said: “Then tell me about Iman.”He said: ”It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof.” He said: “You have spoken rightly”. He said: “Then tell me about Ihsan.” He said: “It is to worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you”. He said: “Then tell me about the Hour”. He said: “The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner.” He said: “Then tell me about its signs.” He said: “That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsman competing in constructing lofty buildings.” Then he took himself off and I stayed for a time. Then he said: “O Umar, do you know who the questioner was?” I said: “Allah and His messenger know best”. He said: “He was Gibreel (Gabriel), who came to you to teach you your religion”. [Reported by Muslim. Kitaab al-Eemaan. Chapter: Imaan, Islaam and Ihsaan. Hadeeth Number: 8]

The testimony in this hadeeth is the statement of the Prophet, “He was Gibreel, who came to you to teach you your religion”. So, the guiding principle in the above hadeeth is that the Prophet asked a question about the Hour and its circumstances, and he established that it is something included in the affairs of the Religion. The affairs of Fitan and its circumstances, and the affairs of strife are all related to the (portents) of the Hour, therefore, it is included in the Religion and it is not for anyone to speak about it based on his own (opinions, views, analysis or interpretations etc). [Mawqiful Muslim Minal Fitan. Pages 15-18]

Abu Hurairah [may Allaah be pleased with him] reported that Allah’s Messenger [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] said, “The Hour will not be established till two big groups fight each other whereupon there will be a great number of casualties on both sides and they will be following one and the same path, till about thirty Dajjals (liars) appear and each one of them will claim that he is Allah’s Messenger, till religious knowledge is taken away (by the death of Religious scholars), earthquakes will increase in number; time will pass quickly, afflictions will appear, Al-Harj, (i.e., killing) will increase, till wealth will be in abundance – so abundant that a wealthy person will worry lest nobody should accept his Zakat, and whenever he will present it to someone, that person (to whom it will be offered) will say, ‘I am not in need of it, till the people compete with one another in constructing high buildings, till a man when passing by a grave of someone will say, ‘Would that I were in his place’ and till the sun rises from the West. So when the sun will rise and the people will see it (rising from the West) they will all believe (accept Islam) but that will be the time when: (as Allah said) [لاَ يَنْفَعُ نَفْسًا إِيمَانُهَا لَمْ تَكُنْ آمَنَتْ مِنْ قَبْلُ، أَوْ كَسَبَتْ فِي إِيمَانِهَا خَيْرًا – no good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith]. And the Hour will be established while two men spreading a garment in front of them but they will not be able to sell it, nor fold it up; and the Hour will be established when a man has milked his she-camel and has taken away the milk but he will not be able to drink it; and the Hour will be established before a man repairing a tank (for his livestock) is able to water (his animals) in it; and the Hour will be established when a person has raised a morsel (of food) to his mouth but will not be able to eat it.” [Saheeh Al-Bukhaari. Hadeeth Number 7121]

Good and The People of Truth Will Remain Until The Last Day

The Prophet [peace and blessinsg of Allaah be upon him] said: “There will not cease to be a group amongst my Ummah upon the truth; neither will they be harmed by those who betray them nor those who oppose them until the command of Allaah arrives [i.e. the day of judgement]”. [Bukhaari]

Al-Allaamah Saaleh Al-Fawzaan [may Allaah preserve him] stated: This group will not cease to exist in the Ummah. The Ummah will not be deprived of this Sunni Group. This Taa’ifah can be one group. If it adheres to the Qur’aan and the Sunnah, it is the Taa’ifah Al-Mansoorah [The Victorious Group], even if it is only one. The Ummah will not lose this Sunni Group, this good group, and all praise be to Allaah – until the command of Allaah comes to pass [i.e. the day of judgment]. ‘They will not be harmed by those who forsake them’.  Amongst the people are those who forsake them and those who oppose them, but they will not be harmed. This is from Allaah’s Grace upon His servants and that He will establish the truth for the one who aids the truth and call to it, even if evil is rife. There will be those who adhere to good, call to it and disseminate it amongst the people. Not all the Ummah will be misguided, but some will remain upon truth, but they might be strangers [i.e. their affair will be strange to the people], just as the Prophet said, “Islam began as a strange thing and it will return as a strange thing, and glad tidings to the strangers”, so they said, ‘Who are the strangers O Messenger of Allaah? He said, ‘They are those who will be upright when the people become corrupt’.. and in another version of this hadeeth, “Those who rectify what the people have corrupted’. These are the strangers, because the majority of the people oppose them, belittle, forsake and keep away from what they are upon, but this will not harm them, “They will never be harmed by those who forsake them nor by those who oppose them’. Allaah will make them remain so that His Proofs remain amongst the creation until the end of time. This group might be in the East, the West, or the North etc…They are not in a specific place, but they are present. Whoever wants will find it. It is present and all praise is due to Allaah. Alhamdulil laah, we – at present – are upon a correct methodology, upon a sound methodology; our methodology is that which the Qur’aan and sunnah necessitate, our learning is based upon the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. We study Tafseer, hadeeth and its explanation, the Aqeedah of the pious predecessors and that which they were upon. Alhamadulil laah at present we are upon a correct path, a sound methodology and straight path. We ask Allaah to keep us firm upon it until we meet him, neither substituting nor changing it. Paraphrased Excerpt: Listen to audio here: https://safeyoutube.net/w/TlUI

The Prophet [peace and blessings be upon him] said, “Allaah will raise for this Ummah at the end of every hundred years the one who will revive its religion for it”. [Saheeh Sunan Abee Daawud. Hadeeth Number 4291]

“Allaah will raise for this Ummah”– Meaning the Ummatul Ijaabah [i.e. the Muslims]. “At the end of every hundred years”– Meaning at the end of every hundred years when there is little knowledge of the Sharee’ah and the authentic Prophetic Tradition, whilst ignorance and religious innovation is rife. “One who will revive its religion for it”– Meaning a scholar who is alive and well known. He will clarify the authentic Prophetic Tradition and distinguish it from the religious innovations. knowledge will be abundant again and its adherents will be aided, and the proponents of religious will be overcome and degraded. This reviver is non else but a scholar who has sound understanding of the religious sciences that deal with acts of worship, the underlying wisdoms of the religion and the texts that deal with beliefs of the heart. [Awnul Ma’bood Sharh Sunan Abee Daawud. Vol 11. Pages 259-260]

Imaam Ibn Katheer [may Allaah have mercy upon him] said, “A group amongst the scholars- including Ahmad Bin Hanbal – stated that Umar Bin Abdul Azeez was alive at the end of the first hundred years and he is more worthy and entitled to be entered into this category of people due to his leadership and striving to establish truth”. [Al-Bidaayah Wan-Nihaayah. Vol 9. Pages 303-309]