Chapter: Clarifying that Islam started as something strange, and will revert to being something strange, and it will retreat between the two Masajid

We were sitting in the company of Umar and he said: Who amongst you has heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) talking about the turmoil? Some people said: It is we who heard it. Upon this be remarked: Perhaps by turmoil you presume the unrest of man in regard to his household or neighbour, they replied: Yes. He ('Umar) observed: Such (an unrest) would be done away with by prayer, fasting and charity. But who amongst you has heard from the Apostle (ﷺ) describing that turmoil which would come like the wave of the ocean. Hudhaifa said: The people hushed into silence, I replied: It is I. He ('Umar) said: Ye, well, your father was also very pious. Hudhaifa said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be, upon him ) observing: Temptations will be presented to men's hearts as reed mat is woven stick by stick and any heart which is impregnated by them will have a black mark put into it, but any heart which rejects them will have a white mark put in it. The result is that there will become two types of hearts: one white like a white stone which will not be harmed by any turmoil or temptation, so long as the heavens and the earth endure; and the other black and dust-coloured like a vessel which is upset, not recognizing what is good or rejecting what is abominable, but being impregnated with passion. Hudhaifa said: I narrated to him ('Umar): There is between you and that (turmoil) a closed door, but there is every likelihood of its being broken. 'Umar said: Would it be broken? You have, been rendered fatherless. Had it been opened, it would have been perhaps closed also. I said: No, it would be broken, and I narrated to him: Verily that door implies a person who would be killed or die. There is no mistake in this hadith. Abu Khalid narrated: I said to Sa'd, O Abu Malik, what do you mean by the term" Aswad Murbadda"? He replied: High degree of whiteness in blackness. I said: What is meant by" Alkoozu Mujakhiyyan"? He replied: A vessel turned upside down.

Verily yesterday when I was sitting with the Commander of the believers he asked his companions: When amongst you retains in his memory the utterance of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) with regard to the turmoil? -and he cited the hadith like the hadith narrated on the authority of Abu Khalid, but he did not mention the exposition of his words (Murbaddan) and (Mujakhiyyan).

Who would narrate to us or who amongst you would narrate to us (and Hudhaifa was one amongst them) what the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had said about the turmoil? Hudhaifa said: I will, and recited the hadith like that transmitted by Abu Malik on the authority of Rib'i and he observed in connection with this hadith that Hudhaifa remarked: I am narrating to you a hadith and it has no mistake, and said: That it is transmitted from he Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).

Islam initiated as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being strange. so good tidings for the stranger.

Verily Islam started as something strange and it would again revert (to its old position) of being strange just as it started, and it would recede between the two mosques just as the serpent crawls back into its hole.

Verily the faith would recede to Medina just as the serpent crawls back into its hole.