Regarding the night prior to the Battle of Badr, ‘Umar ibn al- Khaṭṭ āb  said, “The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم showed us where those [enemies] at Badr would die. He would place his hand somewhere on the ground and say, ‘This is where so-and-so will die tomorrow, by God’s will, and this is where so-and-so will die.’ I swear by the One who sent him with the Truth, none of them fell anywhere other than exactly where the Prophet’s hand had touched.”276

Anas ibn Mālik  reported that, as the Battle of Mu’tah was taking place in Jordan, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم informed the people in Madinah of the martyrdom of Zayd ibn Ḥārithah, Ja‘far ibn Abī Ṭālib, and ‘Abdullāh ibn Rawāḥah. Even though they were 600 miles away, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Zayd took the flag (as commander) and was killed, then Ja‘far took the flag and was killed, then Ibn Rawāḥah took the flag and was killed.” Anas describes that as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was telling them this, “his eyes were shedding tears.” He صلى الله عليه وسلم continued, “Then the flag was taken by one of God’s swords (Khālid ibn al-Walīd), and Allah made him victorious.”277 That army eventually returned to Madinah, with eyewitness accounts that matched exactly what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had described.

Abū Ḥumayd al-Sā‘idī  said, “When we reached Tabūk, the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, ‘There will be a strong wind tonight and so no one should stand and whoever has a camel should fasten it.’ We fastened our camels, and then a strong wind did in fact blow at night, and a man stood up and was consequently blown away to a mountain called Ṭay’.”278

Sahl ibn Sa‘d  reports that as the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and his Companions returned to camp after a day of battle, he overheard people celebrating the valor of a man “who vanquished every enemy that faced him; none outdid him today.” To the shock of those present, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Rather, he will be in the Hellfire.” One man said, “I will shadow him,” and closely followed him at every turn. Soon thereafter, this man came to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and said, “I testify that you are indeed the Messenger of Allah!” He صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Why [do you say] that?” He said, “The people were astounded when you said this man would be in the Hellfire, so I followed him until he was badly wounded and sought to hasten his death. He placed the handle of his sword on the ground and its tip between his chest, then leaned on it and killed himself.” Explaining that this mortal sin was an indicator of prior insincerity undetected by others, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Certainly, a man may perform the deeds of the people of Paradise, in terms of what is apparent to the people, while in reality he is among the people of the Hellfire. And a man may perform the deeds of the people of the Hellfire, in terms of what is apparent to the people, while in reality he is among the people of Paradise.”279