Hadith No. 10
The Ummah is never without one who fights upon the truth until the Day of Judgment.
رَوَى ابْنُ قَانِعٍ [ت351هـ] فِي «مُعْجَمِ الصَّحَابَةِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْهَيْثَمِ الْبَلَدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ كَثِيرٍ الْمِصِّيصِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ:
لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ ظَاهِرِينَ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ.
Translation:
Ibn Qani‘ [d. 351 AH] has narrated in the book Mu‘jam al-Sahabah, (in this manner that) he has said: Ibrahim ibn Haytham al-Baladi narrated to us, (he said:) Muhammad ibn Kathir al-Missisi narrated to us, (he said:) al-Awza‘i narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Prophet said:
A group from my Ummah will always fight victoriously for the truth until the Day of Judgment.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: اخْتَلَفُوا فِي مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كَثِيرٍ الْمِصِّيصِيِّ، فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ وَثَّقَهُ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ ضَعَّفَهُ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهُ وَهِمَ فِي هَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ[2]، وَلَكِنَّهُ لَمْ يَنْفَرِدْ بِهِ:
Translation:
Mansoor said: They have differed about Muhammad ibn Kathir al-Missisi. Some of them have considered him trustworthy, and some have weakened him. And it has been said that he has made a mistake in this chain of narrators. However, he is not alone in narrating this Hadith:
Attestation
رَوَى أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ [ت430هـ] فِي «أَخْبَارِ أَصْبَهَانَ»[3]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي دَاوُدَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحِيمِ بْنُ الرَّبِيعِ بْنِ سُلَيْمَانَ الْيَمَامِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، عَنْ قَتَادَةَ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ».
Translation:
Abu Nu‘aym [d. 430 AH] has narrated in the book Akhbar Asbahan and said: Hasan ibn Abdullah ibn Sa‘id narrated to us, (he said:) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Dawud narrated to us, (he said:) Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Yunus narrated to us, (he said:) Abd al-Rahim ibn Rabi‘ ibn Sulayman al-Yamami narrated to us, (he said:) My father narrated to me, from Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: The Messenger of Allah said: “A group from my Ummah will always fight for the truth until the Day of Judgment arrives.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: فِي رِوَايَةِ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ زِيَادَةٌ غَيْرُ صَحِيحَةٍ، وَهِي «وَأَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى الشَّامِ»، وَلَيْسَتْ فِي رِوَايَةِ يَحْيَى بْنِ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنِ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ مَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهَا مِنْ قَوْلِ قَتَادَةَ، وَلَيْسَتْ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: «حَدَّثَنِي قَتَادَةُ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ وَزَعَمَ أَنَّهُمْ أَهْلُ الشَّامِ»[4]، وَهَكَذَا كُلُّ مَا يُوجَدُ بِهَذَا الْمَعْنَى فِي ذَيْلِ رِوَايَاتِ الْبَابِ مِمَّا يُوهِمُ أَنَّهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَإِنَّهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ بَعْضِ الرُّوَاةِ تَأْوِيلًا لِلْحَدِيثِ، وَقَدْ لَبَّسُوهُ عَلَى النَّاسِ لِتَحْرِيضِهِمْ عَلَى طَاعَةِ الْأُمَرَاءِ وَبَسْطِ الْفُتُوحَاتِ عَلَى عَهْدِ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ، وَفِي بَعْضِ الرِّوَايَاتِ تَصْرِيحٌ بِأَنَّهُ مِنْ قَوْلِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَكِنَّهَا مَدْسُوسَةٌ، وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مَسَّتْهُ أَيْدِي الشَّامِيِّينَ، فَتَبَصَّرْ وَلَا تَكُنْ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِينَ.
Translation:
Mansoor said: In the narration of al-Awza‘i, there is an addition that is incorrect, which is: “And he pointed with his hand toward Sham.” And this is not found in the narration of Yahya ibn Abi Kathir. And something has been reported from al-Awza‘i that indicates it is from the statement of Qatadah and not from the Hadith, which is: “Qatadah narrated this Hadith to me and thought that they were the people of Sham.” Likewise, anything else found with this meaning in the narrations under this chapter and thought to be the statement of the Prophet
is, in fact, the statement of some narrators in interpreting the Hadith, which they have concealed from people to encourage them to obey the rulers and expand the conquests during the era of Banu Umayyah. And it has been explicitly stated in some of the narrations that it is the statement of the Prophet
, but they have been distorted, and the people of Sham have tampered with this Hadith. So be discerning and do not be among the ignorant.