“Is it poverty that you fear?! By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the luxuries of this world will come to you in abundance.” Explanation of Kitābus-Sunnah from Sunan Ibn Mājah (Hadeeth 5)

Explanation of the Book of Sunnah, Sunan Ibn Mājah

Chapter 1: ‘Following the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam).’ Based on the explanation of the noble Scholar, the Sheikh, ʿAbdul Muhsin al-ʿAbbād (may Allah preserve him) with additional notes.

Hadeeth Number 5

The author, Muhammad Ibn Yazeed Ibn Mājah Al-Qazweeni (d. 273 AH, rahimahullāh) said:

حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عِيسَى بْنِ سُمَيْعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الأَفْطَسُ، عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْجُرَشِيِّ، عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، قَالَ خَرَجَ عَلَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَنَحْنُ نَذْكُرُ الْفَقْرَ وَنَتَخَوَّفُهُ فَقَالَ ‏ “‏ آلْفَقْرَ تَخَافُونَ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَتُصَبَّنَّ عَلَيْكُمُ الدُّنْيَا صَبًّا حَتَّى لاَ يُزِيغَ قَلْبَ أَحَدٍ مِنْكُمْ إِزَاغَةً إِلاَّ هِيَهْ وَايْمُ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ تَرَكْتُكُمْ عَلَى مِثْلِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا وَنَهَارُهَا سَوَاءٌ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ صَدَقَ وَاللَّهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ تَرَكَنَا وَاللَّهِ عَلَى مِثْلِ الْبَيْضَاءِ لَيْلُهَا وَنَهَارُهَا سَوَاءٌ ‏.‏

Hishām bin ʿAmmār ad-Dimashqi narrated to us, saying that Muhammad bin ʿEesa bin Sumaiʿ narrated to us, that Ibrāheem bin Sulaymān al-Aftas narrated to us, from al-Waleed bin ʿAbdir Rahmān al-Jurashee, from Jubayr bin Nufayr, from Abu Dardā (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) who said:

Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) came out to us while we were talking about poverty, and how we feared it. So, he (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said: “Is it poverty that you fear?! By the One in whose Hand is my soul, the luxuries of this world will come to you in abundance, and nothing shall cause the heart of one of you to deviate except that. By Allah, I am leaving you upon the likes of that which is clear and white [in brightness], its night and its day are the same.”

Abu Dardā (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) said: “He spoke the truth by Allah! The Messenger of Allah (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) left us upon that which was like clear white in brightness, its night and its day are the same.”

(Reported by Ibn Mājah, no. 5, Al-Bazzār who declared it to be hasan, as did Shaikh al-Albāni in his as-Saheehah, 688).

Explanation

This Hadeeth has been reported by Ibn Mājah from Abu Dardā (radiyallāhu ʿanhu), and its relationship to the chapter, ‘Following the Sunnah’ comes in the final sentence of the Hadeeth: ‘…I have left you upon that which is like white in brightness, its night and its day are the same.’ So, the Messenger of Allah (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) left them (the Sahābah) upon a Shareeʿah that was clear and apparent, and nothing of it was concealed or obscure.

The Prophet’s (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) saying, ‘Its night and its day are the same,’ is because the Shareeʿah is always clear, there is no difference in that between the night and the day, because it has the utmost clarity. This is not like the Sun as the Sun can only be benefited from during the day, whereas during the night the earth is shrouded in darkness and the Sun light cannot be benefitted from, whereas the Shareeʿah of Allah can be benefited from in the night and in the day, at all times, and in all places, and whoever traverses upon it, then he is guided, and he is upon the Straight Path.

The Fitnah of this Ummah is in Wealth

Abu Dardā (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) said: ‘Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) came out to us whilst we were talking about poverty and how we feared it,’ meaning that they were afraid of poverty, and they were giving concern to the affair of provision because most of the Sahābah were poor at that time. So, he (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said, ‘Is it poverty that you fear? By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the luxuries of this world will come to you in abundance.’ Meaning that the world would be opened up for them, and the fitnah of this world will come to the people, as occurs in a narration that the fitnah of this Ummah is in wealth. This is reported by Imām At-Tirmidhi from Kaʿb Ibn ʿIyād (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) who said: I heard Allah’s Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) say:

 إن لكل أمة فتنة، وفتنة أمتى المال

“For every Ummah there is a trial, and the trial of my ummah is wealth.” (Graded saheeh by Shaikh al-Albāni in as-Saheehah, no. 592).

So, much of this Ummah will love wealth with immense love, and from them are those who will be tried with trying to attain it by any means, whether halāl or harām, such that even if one had plentiful wealth, he will still not be satisfied with what he has in his hand, he will strive to increase it more and more even by means that are harām.

He (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) said: “Until nothing shall cause the heart of any one of you to deviate except that.” Meaning except the worldly possessions—nothing will cause the hearts to deviate except the Dunya: the fitnah of wealth and the keen desire for it. Such that a person will strive and put great effort into obtaining wealth and possessions by any means. He is unconcerned in how he attains wealth and does not care how it comes to him, whether it is halāl or harām. Therefore, tribulation sets in, and the hearts become deviated and stray from the Straight Path.

The permissible matters (halāl) are that which Allah and His Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) have made halāl, and that which is prohibited (harām) is that which Allah and His Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) have made harām. However, the one who is put to trial with wealth, his only concern is the Dunya, so, for him that which is halāl is that which is in his hand, and that which is harām is that which has not reached him! He does not care if Allah or His Messenger have made it halāl or harām.

The Messenger (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) informed us that the world will be opened up for this Ummah, and its possessions shall be poured upon the people in abundance—and what he stated, occurred. Many people were put to trial with wealth and became deviated due to it. Their hearts turned away from the Straight Path and wealth became the cause of their transgression, just as Allah (the Most High) said:

كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ

“Nay! Verily man transgresses bounds. Because he considers himself self-sufficient.” (Surah al-ʿAlaq 96:6-7).

So, his attainment of wealth became a cause for his transgression and his going beyond bounds. He spends his wealth in ways in which he was not commanded—he spends it in halāl and harām (without distinguishing between the two), so fitnah comes about due to this, and the hearts become deviated, just as the Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) stated.

The Completeness and Perfection of the Shareeʿah and its Clarity

In the next part of the Hadeeth the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) informed us that he left the people upon the like of that which is white and utmost in brightness, such that its night and its day are the same. This means that he left the people upon a Shareeʿah that is clear, complete and encompassing, having no deficiency in it from any aspect whatsoever, such that Allah (the Most High) completed this Religion for the Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam). Muhammad (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) did not leave an affair that brings one closer to Allah (the Most High) except that he directed the people to it—and he did not leave a command or an affair that takes one away from Allah (the Most High) except that he warned the people from it.

So, the guided one, the who is successful, is the one who submits and yields to whatever the Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) came with. The one who believes in the narrations (Āthār) acts upon the commands and abandons the prohibitions, his worship is for Allah alone, in accordance with what the Prophet (salallāhu ʿalaihi wasallam) came with from his Lord.

The Men in the Chain of Narration

Hishām bin ʿAmmār ad-Dimashqi: He is sudooq (truthful), Bukhāri and the Ashāb as-Sunan, (compilers of the Sunan: Abu Dāwud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasā’i and Ibn Mājah) narrate from him.

Muhammad bin ʿEesa bin Sumaiʿ: He is sudooq (truthful), but he makes mistakes. Abu Dāwud, an-Nasā’i and Ibn Mājah narrate from him.

Ibrāheem bin Sulaymān al-Aftas: He is thiqah (trustworthy and reliable). At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Mājah narrate from him.

Al-Waleed bin ʿAbdir Rahmān al-Jurashi: He is thiqah (trustworthy and reliable). Bukhāri narrates from him in his tremendous work, Khalq afʿālil-ʿibād, as does Muslim and the Ashāb as-Sunan.

Jubayr bin Nufayr: He is thiqah (trustworthy and reliable). Bukhāri narrates from him in Al-Adab al-Mufrad, as does Muslim and Ashāb as-Sunan.

Abu ad-Dardā: He is the Companion of the Messenger, ʿUwaymir (radiyallāhu ʿanhu), no question regarding his reliability nor that of any of the companions (radiyallāhu ʿanhum), and all six books of Hadeeth narrate from him.

This Hadeeth is also from the Zawā’id (Additional Narrations) of Ibn Mājah, which are not found in the other five books of Hadeeth.

والحمد لله رب العالمين وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين

سبحانك اللهم وبحمدك أشهد أن لا إله إلا أنت، أستغفرك وأتوب إليك

Abu Khadeejah Abdul-Wāhid.
Copyright 2024.

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