The Prophetic Alarm at the Breach of Gog and Magog and the Onset of Tribulations

 

كِتابُ الْفِتَنِ

بَابُ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ: «وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرْبِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ»

حديث 1383

عَنْ زَيْنَبَ بِنْتِ جَحْشٍ رضي الله عنها: أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا (وَلِمُسْلِمٍ: خَرَجَ) فَزِعًا - وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: اسْتَيْقَظَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مِنَ النَّوْمِ مُحْمَرًّا وَجْهُهُ- يَقُولُ: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَيْلٌ لِلْعَرْبِ مِنْ شَرٍّ قَدِ اقْتَرَبَ، فُتِحَ الْيَوْمَ مِنْ رَدْمِ يَأْجُوجُ وَمَأْجُوجُ مِثْلُ هَذِهِ. وَحَلَّ بِإِصْبَعِهِ الْإِبْهَامِ وَالَّتِي تَلِيهَا، قَالَتْ زَيْنَبُ بِنْتُ جَحْشٍ: فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! أَنَهْلِكُ وَفِينَا الصَّالِحُونَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَم؛ إِذَا كَثَرَ الْخَبَثُ.

وَفِي حَدِيثِ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ رضي الله عنها: اسْتَيْقَظَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ، فَقَالَ: سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ! مَاذَا أُنْزِلَ اللَّيْلَةَ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ، وَمَاذَا فُتِحَ مِنَ الْخَزَائِنِ؟ أَيْقِظُوا صَوَاحِبَاتِ الْحُجَرِ- وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: يُرِيدُ أَزْوَاجَهُ؛ لكَيْ يُصَلِّينَ، فَرُبَّ كَاسِيَةٍ فِي الدُّنْيَا عَارِيَةٍ فِي الآخِرَةِ.

 

The Book of Tribulations (Kitāb al-Fitan)

Chapter One: The Statement of the Prophet ﷺ: “Woe unto the Arabs from an Evil That Has Drawn Near”

Ḥadīth No. 1383

Narrated by Zaynab bint Jaḥsh (may Allah be pleased with her): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered upon her (as reported in another narration by Muslim: he emerged from his chamber) visibly distressed. In one account, it is stated that he ﷺ awoke from his sleep with his face flushed red and exclaimed: “There is no deity but Allah. Woe unto the Arabs from an evil that has drawn nigh! Today, a breach has been opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog to the extent of this”—and he formed a circle with his thumb and index finger. Zaynab bint Jaḥsh inquired: “O Messenger of Allah, shall we be destroyed while there are righteous people amongst us?” He replied: “Yes, when wickedness becomes prevalent.”

In the narration of Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her), it is reported: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ awoke one night and exclaimed: “Glory be to Allah! What tribulations have been revealed tonight, and what treasures have been unlocked! Awaken the inhabitants of the chambers”—and in another version, “meaning his wives”—“so that they may perform prayer. Verily, one may be clothed in this world, yet naked in the Hereafter.”

 

 Key Lessons and Reflections

1.   Divine Portents and the Jurisprudence of Calamity: The Prophet’s ﷺ reaction upon receiving divine disclosure encapsulates the severity of imminent tribulations. His pronouncement, “Woe unto the Arabs from an evil that has drawn near,” signifies a jurisprudential precedent: divine retribution may encompass an entire populace, not merely the sinful, when collective moral disintegration takes root. This principle is reflected in the legal axiom: “When affliction becomes widespread, it does not spare the righteous.” This axiom underscores the communal dimension of divine justice and highlights the consequences of societal decay regardless of individual piety.

2. Perdition Amidst the Presence of the Virtuous: Zaynab’s question elicited a solemn affirmation: destruction may indeed befall a community even when righteous individuals dwell among them“Yes, if wickedness becomes prevalent.” In the discipline of Uṣūl al-Fiqh, this connects to the concept of ʿillah (effective legal cause) within qadarī phenomena: the preponderance of sin serves as a ʿillah sharʿiyyah (legally operative cause) warranting communal affliction. This aligns with the principle that legal consequences are predicated on causative moral conditions, not merely on individual merit.

3.   Prophetic Emphasis on Spiritual Vigilance: The Prophet’s ﷺ instruction to awaken his wives for prayer amidst a night of descending tribulations and unveiled treasures illustrates his unrelenting concern for spiritual fortification. From a juristic perspective, this underscores the mandūb (recommended) status of nocturnal worship, particularly in periods of fitnah (trial). The prophetic action serves as a precedent encouraging voluntary devotions as both a shield against collective turmoil and a means of individual sanctification.

4.   The Symbolism of Clothing and the Eschatological Ethic: The expression, “clothed in this world, yet naked in the Hereafter,” constitutes a poignant rhetorical contrast. It critiques the deceptiveness of material affluence and outward status, reminding the believer that worldly presentation may belie one’s true standing before the Divine. This dichotomy resonates with the tension in legal theory between ʿadl ilā al-ẓāhir (judging by the apparent) and ḥaqīqat al-amr (ultimate reality known only to Allah), a foundational concern in Islamic theological jurisprudence and moral epistemology. 

5.  Legislative Weight of Revelatory Dreams: The narrations demonstrate that the Prophet ﷺ received insight either via dreams or instantaneous divine transmission. According to the discipline of Uṣūl al-Fiqh, such experiences during his lifetime are categorised as waḥy ghayr matlūw (non-recited revelation), bearing authoritative legal and theological implications. Thus, they form part of the prophetic Sunnah, possessing normative force and interpretive value for understanding divine legislation.