The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to warn his ummah about tribulations (fitnahs), especially those that will occur at the end of time. In this hadith, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) explained to the Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) that soon circumstances would change, and tribulations would come, affecting all people and reaching everywhere. When that happened, the best wealth a Muslim could have at that time would be sheep. They are singled out for mention because their nature is quiet and tranquil, and there is blessing (barakah) in them, because the one who keeps away from people and tends sheep can eat their meat and the meat of their offspring, drink their milk, and make use of their wool for clothing and other things, and the sheep can graze on plants and vegetation in the mountains and drink from springs. These benefits and the option of going to mountainous locations are not found with anything other than sheep. By the same token, their increase in weight and number is furthest removed from earnings that could be contaminated with any unlawful elements, such as riba, and earnings that could be contaminated with dubious elements. They are amenable and do not require much care, but they bring many benefits. He can graze them and follow them to the mountaintops, which offer protection to the one who seeks refuge in them from his enemy. The “places where rain falls” are the bottoms of valleys and oases in the desert, because in such places one can find vegetation and water, so he can drink and give water to his sheep and let them graze on that vegetation. Thus he may flee for the sake of his faith, to avoid falling prey to those tribulations and seeking to save himself, for if he exposes himself to tribulations, he may not be able to save himself from falling into sin. What is meant by tribulations in this hadith is those in which truth is mixed with falsehood, and one cannot tell them apart. As for tribulations in which truth can be distinguished from falsehood, the individual is required to side with the truth and strive to oppose falsehood. Or it may be that what is meant by tribulations is when corruption overwhelms the people of a particular era and the people of falsehood become strong whilst the people of faith become weak. In that case, the one who remains there [where the tribulation is] will not be safe, so he should flee for the sake of his faith, because loss of faith cannot be compensated by anything. This hadith also highlights the virtue of raising sheep, and shows that they are the most beneficial kind of wealth at times of tribulation. It also warns against exposing oneself to tribulations and falling into them..