44 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Suwayd ibn Saʿid informed us; he said: Abu Yaʿqub Ishaq al-Jaziri informed us, from Thawr, from Khalid ibn Maʿdan, who said: ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Before long the towns will be laid waste while they still appear to flourish.” They asked, “How can they be ruined when they are thriving?” ⦗47⦘ He replied, “When the wicked rise above the righteous and the hypocrites move freely among the people.”