Hadith No. 25

The Earth will not be unless there is a scholar on it, and the scholar may not be visibly present.

رَوَى مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ بَابَوَيْهِ [ت381ه‍] فِي «كَمَالِ الدِّينِ وَتَمَامِ النِّعْمَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْعَطَّارُ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي خَلَفٍ، عَنْ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ -يَعْنِي جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّادِقَ- عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، قَالَ:

«كَانَ بَيْنَ عِيسَى وَبَيْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ خَمْسُمِائَةِ عَامٍ، مِنْهَا مِائَتَانِ وَخَمْسُونَ عَامًا لَيْسَ فِيهَا نَبِيٌّ وَلَا عَالِمٌ ظَاهِرٌ»، قُلْتُ: فَمَا كَانُوا؟ قَالَ: «كَانُوا مُتَمَسِّكِينَ بِدِينِ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ»، قُلْتُ: فَمَا كَانُوا؟ قَالَ: «كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ»، ثُمَّ قَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: «وَلَا يَكُونُ الْأَرْضُ إِلَّا وَفِيهَا عَالِمٌ».

Translation:

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Babawayh [d. 381 AH] has narrated in the book Kamal al-Din Wa Tamam al-Ni‘mah, (in this manner that) he has said: My father narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Attar narrated to us, from Ya‘qub ibn Yazid, from Muhammad ibn Abi Umair, from Sa‘d ibn Abi Khalaf, from Ya‘qub ibn Shu‘ayb, from Abu Abdullah—meaning Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq— who said:

“Between Isa and Muhammad , there was a gap of five hundred years. For two hundred and fifty of those years, there was no Prophet or visibly present scholar.” I said: “Then what were (the people)?” He said: “They adhered to the religion of Isa .” I said: “How were they?” He said: “They were believers.” Then he said: “And the Earth will not be unless there is a scholar on it.”

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: رَوَى الْبُخَارِيُّ [ت256ه‍] فِي «صَحِيحِهِ»[2]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُدْرِكٍ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَمَّادٍ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَوَانَةَ، عَنْ عَاصِمٍ الْأَحْوَلِ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ، عَنْ سَلْمَانَ، قَالَ: «فَتْرَةٌ بَيْنَ عِيسَى وَمُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمَا وَسَلَّمَ سِتُّمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ»، وَرُوِيَ عَنْ قَتَادَةَ: «خَمْسُمِائَةٍ وَسِتُّونَ سَنَةً»، وَعَنِ الْكَلْبِيِّ: «خَمْسُمِائَةٍ وَأَرْبَعُونَ سَنَةً»، وَعَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ: «خَمْسُمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ» مِثْلُ مَا رُوِيَ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، وَالْمَشْهُورُ عِنْدَ الْمُحَقِّقِينَ خَمْسُمِائَةٍ وَسَبْعُونَ سَنَةً، وَرَوَى ابْنُ حِبَّانَ [ت354ه‍] فِي «صَحِيحِهِ»[3] قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو يَعْلَى، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هَمَّامٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، عَنِ الْهَيْثَمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ، عَنِ الْوَضِينِ بْنِ عَطَاءٍ، عَنْ نَصْرِ بْنِ عَلْقَمَةَ، عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَقَدْ مَكَثَ أَصْحَابُ الْمَسِيحِ عَلَى سُنَّتِهِ وَهَدْيِهِ مِائَتَيْ سَنَةٍ»، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَا يَصِحُّ؛ لِضَلَالِ أَكْثَرِهِمْ بَعْدَهُ اتِّبَاعًا لِبُولُسَ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ الْمُرَادُ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ فِيهِمْ مَنْ كَانَ عَلَى سُنَّةِ الْمَسِيحِ وَهَدْيِهِ ظَاهِرًا مَشْهُورًا إِلَى مِائَتَيْ سَنَةٍ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِمْ مَنْ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ، وَكَانَ عُلَمَاؤُهُمْ مَسْتُورِينَ مَغْمُورِينَ؛ كَمَا جَاءَ قَرِيبٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فِي حَدِيثِ جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حَيْثُ قَالَ: «مِائَتَانِ وَخَمْسُونَ عَامًا لَيْسَ فِيهَا نَبِيٌّ وَلَا عَالِمٌ ظَاهِرٌ»، وَرُوِيَ أَنَّهُ ذَكَرَ النَّصَارَى وَعَدَاوَتَهُمْ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: قَوْلُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ مِنْهُمْ قِسِّيسِينَ وَرُهْبَانًا وَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ﴾[4]، فَقَالَ: «أُولَئِكَ كَانُوا قَوْمًا بَيْنَ عِيسَى وَمُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَنْتَظِرُونَ مَجِيءَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ».

Translation:

Mansoor said: Bukhari [d. 256 AH] has narrated in his Sahih and said: Hasan ibn Mudrik narrated to me, (he said:) Yahya ibn Hammad narrated to us, (he said:) Abu Awanah informed us, from Asim al-Ahwal, from Abu Uthman, from Salman, who said: “The gap between Isa and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them) was six hundred years,” and it has been narrated from Qatadah: “Five hundred and sixty years,” and it has been narrated from al-Kalbi: “Five hundred and forty years,” and it has been narrated from ibn Jurayj: “Five hundred years,” similar to what has been narrated from Ja‘far ibn Muhammad. And the well-known view among researchers is five hundred and seventy years. And ibn Hibban [d. 354 AH] has narrated in his Sahih and said: Abu Ya‘la informed us, (he said:) Abu Hammam narrated to us, (he said:) Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us, from Haytham ibn Humayd, from Wadin ibn Ata’, from Nasr ibn Alqamah, from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from Abu Darda’, who said: The Messenger of Allah , said: “The followers of Christ remained on his way and religion for two hundred years.” But this is not correct; because most of them went astray after him by following Paul—unless the intended meaning is that there was always someone among them, visibly present and well-known, who was on the way and religion of Christ for two hundred years, and after that, there was no such person among them, and their scholars were hidden and anonymous; as something close to that has been stated in the Hadith of Ja‘far , where he has said: “There was no Prophet or visibly present scholar for two hundred and fifty years.” And it has been narrated that he mentioned the Christians and their enmity (toward Islam and Muslims). Then a man said: “Allah Almighty has said: ‘There are priests and monks among them, and they do not act arrogantly.’” So he said: “They were a group between Isa and Muhammad who were waiting for the arrival of Muhammad .”