I asked AbuTha'labah al-Khushani: What is your opinion about the verse "Care for yourselves". He said: I swear by Allah, I asked the one who was well informed about it; I asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about it. He said: No, enjoin one another to do what is good and forbid one another to do what is evil. But when you see niggardliness being obeyed, passion being followed, worldly interests being preferred, everyone being charmed with his opinion, then care for yourself, and leave alone what people in general are doing; for ahead of you are days which will require endurance, in which showing endurance will be like grasping live coals. The one who acts rightly during that period will have the reward of fifty men who act as he does. Another version has: He said (The hearers asked:) Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them? He replied: The reward of fifty of you.  

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ الْخُشَنِيَّ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ كَيْفَ تَقُولُ فِي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ { عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ } قَالَ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ عَنْهَا خَبِيرًا سَأَلْتُ عَنْهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ بَلِ ائْتَمِرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنَاهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَيْتَ شُحًّا مُطَاعًا وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعًا وَدُنْيَا مُؤْثَرَةً وَإِعْجَابَ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْىٍ بِرَأْيِهِ فَعَلَيْكَ يَعْنِي بِنَفْسِكَ وَدَعْ عَنْكَ الْعَوَامَّ فَإِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ أَيَّامَ الصَّبْرِ الصَّبْرُ فِيهِ مِثْلُ قَبْضٍ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِمْ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً يَعْمَلُونَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ وَزَادَنِي غَيْرُهُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: How will you do when that time will come? Or he said: A time will soon come when the people are sifted and only dregs of mankind survive and their covenants and guarantees have been impaired and they have disagreed among themselves and become thus, interwining his fingers. They asked: What do you order us to do, Messenger of Allah? He replied: Accept what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs and leave alone the affairs of the generality. Abu dawud said: A similar tradition has been transmitted by 'Abd Allah bin 'Amr from the Prophet ﷺ through different chain.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ كَيْفَ بِكُمْ وَبِزَمَانٍ أَوْ يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ زَمَانٌ يُغَرْبَلُ النَّاسُ فِيهِ غَرْبَلَةً تَبْقَى حُثَالَةٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ قَدْ مَرِجَتْ عُهُودُهُمْ وَأَمَانَاتُهُمْ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فَكَانُوا هَكَذَا وَشَبَّكَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ فَقَالُوا وَكَيْفَ بِنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ تَأْخُذُونَ مَا تَعْرِفُونَ وَتَذَرُونَ مَا تُنْكِرُونَ وَتُقْبِلُونَ عَلَى أَمْرِ خَاصَّتِكُمْ وَتَذَرُونَ أَمْرَ عَامَّتِكُمْ  

When we were around the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, he mentioned the period of commotion (fitnah) saying: When you see the people that their covenants have been impaired, (the fulfilling of) the guarantees becomes rare, and they become thus (interwining his fingers). I then got up and said: What should I do at that time, may Allah make me ransom for you? He replied: Keep to your house, control your tongue, accept what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs, and leave alone the affairs of the generality.  

بَيْنَمَا نَحْنُ حَوْلَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذْ ذَكَرَ الْفِتْنَةَ فَقَالَ إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ النَّاسَ قَدْ مَرِجَتْ عُهُودُهُمْ وَخَفَّتْ أَمَانَاتُهُمْ وَكَانُوا هَكَذَا وَشَبَّكَ بَيْنَ أَصَابِعِهِ قَالَ فَقُمْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْتُ كَيْفَ أَفْعَلُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ جَعَلَنِي اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ الْزَمْ بَيْتَكَ وَامْلِكْ عَلَيْكَ لِسَانَكَ وَخُذْ بِمَا تَعْرِفُ وَدَعْ مَا تُنْكِرُ وَعَلَيْكَ بِأَمْرِ خَاصَّةِ نَفْسِكَ وَدَعْ عَنْكَ أَمْرَ الْعَامَّةِ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: The best fighting (jihad) in the path of Allah is (to speak) a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَفْضَلُ الْجِهَادِ كَلِمَةُ عَدْلٍ عِنْدَ سُلْطَانٍ جَائِرٍ أَوْ أَمِيرٍ جَائِرٍ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: When sin is done in the earth, he who sees it and disapproves of it will be taken like one who was not present, but he who is not present and approves of it will be like him who sees.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ إِذَا عُمِلَتِ الْخَطِيئَةُ فِي الأَرْضِ كَانَ مَنْ شَهِدَهَا فَكَرِهَهَا وَقَالَ مَرَّةً أَنْكَرَهَا كَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا وَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا فَرَضِيَهَا كَانَ كَمَنْ شَهِدَهَا  

He who sees it and disapproves of it will be like him who was not present.  

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ نَحْوَهُ قَالَ مَنْ شَهِدَهَا فَكَرِهَهَا كَانَ كَمَنْ غَابَ عَنْهَا  

The people will not perish until their sins and faults become abundant, and there remains no excuse for them.  

سَمِعَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ وَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ حَدَّثَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لَنْ يَهْلِكَ النَّاسُ حَتَّى يَعْذِرُوا أَوْ يُعْذِرُوا مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ  

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in the night prayer one night towards the end of his life. When he uttered the salutation, he got up and said : Have you seen this night of yours ? No one of those who are on the surface of the earth will survive at the ends of one hundred years. Ibn ‘Umar said: The people fell into fallacy by this statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the traditions they used to narrate concerning one hundred years. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: No one of those who are present today on the surface of the earth will survive, meaning when that century comes to and end.  

صَلَّى بِنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ فِي آخِرِ حَيَاتِهِ فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ قَامَ فَقَالَ أَرَأَيْتُمْ لَيْلَتَكُمْ هَذِهِ فَإِنَّ عَلَى رَأْسِ مِائَةِ سَنَةٍ مِنْهَا لاَ يَبْقَى مِمَّنْ هُوَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الأَرْضِ أَحَدٌ قَالَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ فَوَهَلَ النَّاسُ فِي مَقَالَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ تِلْكَ فِيمَا يَتَحَدَّثُونَ عَنْ هَذِهِ الأَحَادِيثِ عَنْ مِائَةِ سَنَةٍ وَإِنَّمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لاَ يَبْقَى مِمَّنْ هُوَ الْيَوْمَ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الأَرْضِ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْخَرِمَ ذَلِكَ الْقَرْنُ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: Allah will not fail to detain this community for less than half a day.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَنْ يَعْجِزَ اللَّهُ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةَ مِنْ نِصْفِ يَوْمٍ  

The Prophet ﷺ said: I hope my community will not fail to maintain their position in the sight of their Lord if He delays them half a day. Sa'd was asked: How long is half a day? He said: It is five hundred years.  

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ إِنِّي لأَرْجُو أَنْ لاَ تُعْجِزَ أُمَّتِي عِنْدَ رَبِّهَا أَنْ يُؤَخِّرَهُمْ نِصْفَ يَوْمٍ قِيلَ لِسَعْدٍ وَكَمْ نِصْفُ يَوْمٍ قَالَ خَمْسُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ