who will tell you what has passed and what will happen after your time.” The man was a Jew. He then went to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and informed him, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) affirmed his account. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, “This is one of the signs that will precede the Hour. The time is near when a man will leave and, before he returns, his sandals and whip will tell him what his family have done in his absence.” Related by Imam Ahmad (1).

In another narration of his from Abū Sa'īd al-Khudrī (and he recounted the story until he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said): “He has spoken the truth. By Him in Whose hand is my soul, the Hour will not come until wild beasts speak to human beings, the tip of a man’s whip and the strap of his sandal speak to him, and his thigh tells him what his family have done in his absence” (2).

50 — Wishing for Death Because of Severe Affliction

Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The Hour will not come until a man passes by another man’s grave and says, ‘If only I were in his place!’” (3).