the killer and the victim will be in the Fire.” (1)

Some of what the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—foretold in these hadiths has already come to pass. Fighting broke out among the Muslims during the time of the Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—after the murder of Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him. Wars then became increasingly frequent in some places but not others, and at some times but not others, while the causes of most of those wars remained unknown.

Indeed, the destructive wars that have occurred among nations in recent centuries, claiming thousands of victims, caused tribulations to spread among people, until one person came to kill another without knowing what drove him to do so.

Likewise, the proliferation of deadly weapons that destroy peoples and nations has contributed greatly to the increase in killing, until human life has become worthless: a person is slaughtered just as a sheep is slaughtered. This is due to moral decay and mental recklessness. When tribulations erupt, the killer kills without knowing why the victim was killed or for what reason. We even see some people killing others for trivial reasons when society is in turmoil. The following words of the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—apply to this: “The minds of most people of that time will indeed be taken away.” We ask Allah for well-being and seek refuge in Him from tribulations, both apparent and hidden.

It has also been reported that this nation has been shown mercy, that it is not subject to punishment in the Hereafter, and that Allah Most High has made its punishment in this world consist of tribulations, earthquakes, and killing. In a hadith narrated from Sadaqa ibn al-Muthannā, he said: Ribāh ibn al-Hārith narrated to us from Abū Burda, who said: “While I was