Hadith No. 8

The Ummah is never without one who rises upon the truth.

رَوَى أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْبَزَّارُ [ت292هـ] فِي «مُسْنَدِهِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مِسْكِينٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَالِمٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ الْأَفْطَسُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ نُفَيْرٍ، عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ، قَالَ:

قَالَ رَجُلٌ: «يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، بُوهِيَ بِالْخَيْلِ وَأُلْقِيَ السِّلَاحُ وَزَعَمُوا أَنْ لَا قِتَالَ»، فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كَذَبُوا، الْآنَ حَانَ الْقِتَالُ، لَا تَزَالُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرَةٌ».

Translation:

Ahmad ibn Amr al-Bazzar [d. 292 AH] has narrated in his Musnad, (in this manner that) he has said: Muhammad ibn Miskin narrated to us, he said: Abdullah ibn Yusuf narrated to us, he said: Abdullah ibn Salim narrated to us, he said: Ibrahim ibn Sulayman al-Aftas narrated to us, he said: Walid ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to me, from Jubair ibn Nufair, from Salamah ibn Nufail, who said:

A man said: “O Messenger of Allah! (People) have abandoned the horses, laid down the weapon, and think that there is no more war.” So the Messenger of Allah said: “They are lying. The war has just begun. A group from my Ummah will always rise victoriously upon the truth.”

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لَمْ يَنْفَرِدْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَالِمٍ بِرِوَايَتِهِ عَنِ الْأَفْطَسِ، بَلْ تَابَعَهُ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ عَيَّاشٍ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَرِدِ الْأَفْطَسُ بِرِوَايَتِهِ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ، بَلْ تَابَعَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ أَبِي عَبْلَةَ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُهَاجِرٍ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَرِدِ الْوَلِيدُ بِرِوَايَتِهِ عَنْ جُبَيْرِ، بَلْ تَابَعَهُ نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلْقَمَةَ، وَالظَّاهِرُ عِنْدَهُمْ أَنَّ جُبَيْرًا لَمْ يَنْفَرِدْ بِرِوَايَتِهِ عَنْ سَلَمَةَ، بَلْ تَابَعَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ سُلَيْمٍ، وَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ بِظَاهِرٍ عِنْدِي، وَفِي رِوَايَاتِهِمْ زِيَادَةٌ، وَهِيَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «يُزِيغُ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ قُلُوبَ أَقْوَامٍ، وَيَرْزُقُهُمْ مِنْهُمْ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ، وَحَتَّى يَأْتِيَ وَعْدُ اللَّهِ»[2]، وَفِي رِوَايَاتِهِمُ اضْطِرَابٌ، فَأَحْيَانًا رَوَوْا عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «دَنَوْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى كَادَتْ رُكْبَتَايَ تَمَسَّانِ فَخِذَهُ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، بُهِيَ بِالْخَيْلِ وَأُلْقِيَ السِّلَاحُ وَزَعَمُوا أَنْ لَا قِتَالَ»، وَأَحْيَانًا رَوَوْا عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أَذَالَ النَّاسُ الْخَيْلَ، وَوَضَعُوا السِّلَاحَ، وَقَالُوا: لَا جِهَادَ، قَدْ وَضَعَتِ الْحَرْبُ أَوْزَارَهَا»، فَالْقَائِلُ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الرِّوَايَةِ الْأُولَى سَلَمَةُ بْنُ نُفَيْلٍ، وَفِي الرِّوَايَةِ الثَّانِيَةِ رَجُلٌ آخَرُ، وَقَدْ رَوَوُا الرِّوَايَةَ الْأُولَى عَنْ رَجُلَيْنِ آخَرَيْنِ، وَهُمَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُفَيْلٍ الْكِنْدِيُّ[3] وَالنَّوَّاسُ بْنُ سَمْعَانَ[4]، وَهَذَا اضْطِرَابٌ أَكْبَرُ، وَأَصَحُّ رِوَايَاتِهِمْ عِنْدِي مَا رَوَوْا عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ»، وَأَمَّا رِوَايَتُهُمُ الَّتِي فِيهَا: «دَنَوْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَتَّى كَادَتْ رُكْبَتَايَ تَمَسَّانِ فَخِذَهُ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ»، فَالْأَقْرَبُ عِنْدِي أَنَّهَا رِوَايَةُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ، وَلَيْسَتْ رِوَايَةَ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ، وَإِنَّمَا صَحَّفُوهَا لِظَنِّهِمْ أَنَّهُمَا رَجُلٌ وَاحِدٌ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرَ أَهْلُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ بِالرِّجَالِ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ نُفَيْلٍ فِي عِدَادِ الصَّحَابَةِ[5] وَسَاقُوا لَهُ حَدِيثًا غَيْرَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ[6]، وَالظَّاهِرُ أَنَّ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ أَيْضًا مِنْ حَدِيثِهِ، وَلَعَلَّهُ كَانَ أَخَا سَلَمَةَ، وَكَانَ الْقَائِلَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي رِوَايَةِ سَلَمَةَ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ مِنَ الْبَعِيدِ إِشَارَةُ سَلَمَةَ إِلَى أَخِيهِ بِهَذَا السِّيَاقِ، كَأَنَّهُ رَجُلٌ غَرِيبٌ؛ فَلَعَلَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَخَاهُ، وَالْمُؤَيِّدُ لِذَلِكَ وُجُودُ الْإِخْتِلَافِ فِي اسْمِ أَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ؛ فَقَدْ ذَكَرَهُ بَعْضُهُمْ فَقَالَ: «عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ بُغَيْلٍ الْكِنَانِيُّ»[7]، وَهَذَا أَنْسَبُ بِالسِّيَاقِ، وَظَنِّي أَنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ وَالنَّوَّاسَ بْنَ سَمْعَانَ قَدْ دَخَلَا مَعًا عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَا لَهُ ذَلِكَ الْقَوْلَ، ثُمَّ رَوَى كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى حِدَةٍ، وَرَوَى عَنْهُمَا سَلَمَةُ بْنُ نُفَيْلٍ، فَاخْتَلَطَتْ رِوَايَاتُهُمْ، وَهَذَا مِثَالٌ جَيِّدٌ عَلَى مَا يُوجَدُ فِي رِوَايَاتِ الْآحَادِ مِنَ الْإِشْتِبَاهِ، وَهُوَ مِمَّا يَمْنَعُ الْإِعْتِمَادَ عَلَى أَلْفَاظِهَا، ﴿فَاعْتَبِرُوا يَا أُولِي الْأَبْصَارِ﴾[8]!

Translation:

Mansoor said: Abdullah ibn Salim is not alone in narrating this Hadith from Aftas; rather, Isma‘il ibn Ayyash has narrated it alongside him. And Aftas is not alone in narrating it from Walid; rather, Ibrahim ibn Abi Ablah and Muhammad ibn Muhajir al-Ansari have narrated it alongside him. And Walid is not alone in narrating it from Jubair; rather, Nasr ibn Alqamah has narrated it alongside him. And it seems to them that Jubair is not alone in narrating it from Salamah; rather, Sulayman ibn Sulaim has narrated it alongside him. But it does not seem so to me. And there is an addition in their narration, which is that the Messenger of Allah said (afterwards): “Allah will turn the hearts of some people against them and provide them with sustenance through those people, until the Day of Judgment arrives and the promise of Allah comes.” Also, there is inconsistency in their narration; sometimes they have narrated from Salamah ibn Nufail, who said: “I approached the Messenger of Allah so closely that my knees almost touched his thigh. Then I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! They have abandoned the horses, laid down the weapon, and think that there is no more war,’” and sometimes they have narrated from him that he said: “I was sitting in the presence of the Messenger of Allah . Then a man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! People have abandoned the horses, laid down the weapon, and think that there is no more jihad and that the war has ended.’” So the speaker of the statement to the Messenger of Allah is Salamah ibn Nufail in the first narration and another man in the second narration. And they have also narrated the first narration from two other men, who are Abdullah ibn Nufail al-Kindi and Nawwas ibn Sam‘an, and this is even greater inconsistency. And their most authentic narration in my view is that they have narrated from Salamah ibn Nufail, who said: “I was sitting in the presence of the Messenger of Allah . Then a man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah!’” As for their other narration, in which it has been said: “I approached the Messenger of Allah so closely that my knees almost touched his thigh. Then I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah,’” what seems more likely to me is that this is the narration of Abdullah ibn Nufail, not the narration of Salamah ibn Nufail, and they have misstated it, assuming that the two were the same person, while those with knowledge of hadith narrators have mentioned Abdullah ibn Nufail among the Sahabah and narrated a hadith other than this one from him. And it appears that this Hadith is also from him. And perhaps he was the brother of Salamah and the speaker of the statement to the Messenger of Allah in the narration of Salamah. However, it seems unlikely that Salamah would refer to his brother in this way, as if he were a stranger. So perhaps he was not his brother, and what confirms this is that there is a difference of opinion about his father’s name and his people; because some of them have referred to him as “Abdullah ibn Bughail al-Kinani,” and this is more consistent with the context (of Salamah’s narration). And my guess is that both Abdullah and Nawwas ibn Sam‘an went to the Messenger of Allah and said that statement to him, and then each of them has narrated from him separately, and Salamah ibn Nufail also narrated from them, so their narrations became mixed. And this is a good example of the error that exists in ahad reports, and it is one of the things that prevent trust in the words of ahad reports. “So learn a lesson, O possessors of insight!”