How accurate is the statement attributed to Ibn Abbas: "Even if the heavens were to fall upon the earth, Allah would create openings for the pious to emerge from"? And does the hadith: "Woe to the Arabs from an evil that has drawn near! Today, a hole has been opened in the barrier of Gog and Magog like this," relate only to end-of-time events?

We have not come across any attribution of this statement to Ibn Abbas, and even if it were authentic, there is no contradiction between it and the hadith of Zaynab. The first means that Allah provides a way out and relief for the pious from every calamity, but this does not imply absolute immunity from illness, poverty, and affliction, for all of these do occur. As for the hadith of Zaynab, it explains the ominous nature of disobedience and how it can affect even the righteous. This is an inescapable divine decree, and it does not diminish the status of the righteous. Its meaning is that if evil becomes widespread, general destruction may occur, even if there are righteous people present.