Will there be any good left at times of tribulation? And how can one protect oneself from tribulations?

You should know
– may Allah guide you – that good will remain in the ummah of the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) until the Hour begins, and that
one group of the ummah will continue to support truth, adhering to that
goodness (the teachings of Islam) and calling people to it until the onset
of the Hour.

It was narrated
that Mu‘aawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

“A group of my
ummah will continue to adhere to the commands of Allah, not harmed by those
who reject them or differ with them, until the decree of Allah comes to pass
when they are like that.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari
(7460) and Muslim (1037).

The “decree of
Allah” is the Day of Resurrection.

It was narrated
that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

“The likeness of
my ummah is that of rain; no one knows whether the beginning of it is better
or the end.”

Narrated by at-Tirmidhi
(2869); classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in as-Saheehah (2286).

Al-Qaadi Naasir
ad-Deen al-Baydaawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said, explaining the
reason why there is confusion as to which is better:

That is because
each of them (the beginning and the end) has a unique characteristic that
could make it better, just as each period of rain has its benefits for
plants that cannot be denied, and it cannot be deemed unbeneficial, for the
earlier Muslims believed on the basis of what they saw of miracles, and they
responded to the call of the Messenger and believed in it, and the later
Muslims believed on the basis of miracles that they had not seen, news of
which reached them via mutawaatir reports, and they followed those who came
before them in a proper manner.

As the earlier
generations strove hard to support the religion, paving the way and helping
to establish it, later generations strove hard in studying and explaining
the teachings of Islam, and they devoted all their lives to confirming and
supporting its teachings. Therefore all are forgiven, all their efforts are
to be appreciated, and all are to be rewarded in abundance.

End quote from
Fayd al-Qadeer (5/516).

If goodness and
faith were to disappear from the earth, that would herald the onset of the
Hour, and the Hour will only come upon the worst of people.

It was narrated
from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

“The Hour will
not begin until it is no longer said on earth, ‘Allah, Allah.’”

Narrated by
Muslim (148).

It was narrated
that ‘Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn Shimaasah al-Mahri said: I was with Maslamah ibn
Mukhallad ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr ibn al-‘Aas was also with him. ‘Abdullah said:
The Hour will not come except upon the worst of people, who are worse than
the people of the Jaahiliyyah. They will not ask Allah for anything but He
will refuse their request.

Whilst they were
like that, ‘Uqbah ibn ‘Aamir came and Maslamah said to him: O ‘Uqbah, listen
to what ‘Abdullah is saying. He said: He knows best; as for me, I heard the
Messenger of Allah (sa) say:

“A group of my
ummah will continue to fight to establish the command of Allah, continuing
to defeat their enemies and not being harmed by those who oppose them, until
the Hour comes upon them when they are like that.”

‘Abdullah said:
Yes, “then Allah will send a wind like the fragrance of musk and with a
touch like that of silk, and it will not leave any soul in whose heart is a
grain of faith, but it will take it. Then the worst of people will be left,
upon whom the Hour will come.”

Narrated by
Muslim (1924).

This is the
textual proof that good will remain at all times, and will not cease until
the onset of the Hour.

As for rational
proof, it is what we see and hear. The righteous who called people to Allah
are still among us, striving to do good and spending their time to spread
good (the teachings of Islam) and act upon it. The examples of people who
strive to do good and benefit people, even at times of tribulation, are very
many and well-known, praise be to Allah. We ask Allah to make us steadfast
in adhering to His religion, and to enable us to do more of that which He
loves of righteous deeds.

Saying that evil
is widespread at times of tribulation, and that such times are devoid of any
goodness or righteousness is a kind of overgeneralisation, which is regarded
in psychology as a sign of pessimistic thinking that hinders one from
performing the basic functions of life (unhelpful dysfunctional thoughts).

If you find that
you have some psychological problems or social pressures that are causing
you to think in this manner, then you should consult a specialist
psychologist to analyse these problems and advise you concerning them, so
that you can rid yourself of this negative overgeneralisation that could
hinder you from performing the basic functions of life.

For information
on how to protect yourself at times of tribulation, please see the answers
to questions no. 143946 and
21614.

For information
on how to remain steadfast in adhering to religion at times of tribulation,
please see the answer to question no. 147626.

And Allah knows
best.