عن أبي هريرة قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا كان أمراؤكم خياركم وأغنياؤكم سمحاءكم وأموركم شورى بينكم فظهر الأرض خير لكم من بطنها وإذا كان أمراؤكم شراركم وأغنياؤكم بخلاءكم وأموركم إلى نسائكم فبطن الأرض خير لكم من ظهرها (سنن الترمذي، الرقم: 2266)
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Hazrat Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “When your leaders will be the best (and most pious) among you, and the wealthy among you will be generous (in taking care of the poor and in spending their wealth in various avenues of deen), and your affairs are decided with mashwarah (mutual consultation with the pious among you), then (at that time,) the surface of the earth will be better for you than the inside of the earth (i.e. being alive during that good time will be better for you than passing away). And when your leaders will be the worst (and most sinful) among you, and the wealthy among you will be misers (holding back the rights of others and causing oppression), and your affairs will be entrusted to your women, then (at that time,) the inside of the earth will be better for you than the surface of the earth (i.e. passing away in such challenging and difficult times will be better for you than remaing alive and getting involved in the fitnah).”
Note:
In this Hadith, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) enumerated three signs that mark the closeness of Qiyaamah. These three signs indicate towards the deeni decline and degeneration of the Muslim ummah. At that time, the rights of deen and the rights of people will no longer be upheld. The deeni and worldly affairs will be entrusted to people who lack the knowledge and true understanding of deen, due to which there will be chaos in worldly administration as well as deeni affairs.
