Hadith No. 6
The Ummah is never without one who is upon the religion.
رَوَى أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو الْبَزَّارُ [ت292هـ] فِي «مُسْنَدِهِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُثَنَّى، وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ جَابِرَ بْنَ سَمُرَةَ يَقُولُ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ:
لَا يَبْرَحُ الدِّينُ قَائِمًا عَلَيْهِ عِصَابَةٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَى أَنْ تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ.
Translation:
Ahmad ibn Amr al-Bazzar [d. 292 AH] has narrated in his Musnad, (in this manner that) he has said: Muhammad ibn Muthanna and Muhammad ibn Bashshar narrated to us, they said: Muhammad ibn Ja‘far narrated to us, he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Simak ibn Harb, who said: I heard Jabir ibn Samurah say that the Messenger of Allah said:
The religion will always be upheld, and a group of Muslims will be upon it until the Day of Judgment arrives.
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: هَكَذَا فِي «مُسْنَدِ الْبَزَّارِ» عِنْدِي، وَفِي «صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ»: «لَنْ يَبْرَحَ هَذَا الدِّينُ قَائِمًا يُقَاتِلُ عَلَيْهِ عِصَابَةٌ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ حَتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ»[2]، وَالْحَدِيثُ صَحِيحٌ، رَوَاهُ شُعْبَةُ، وَشَرِيكٌ، وَأَسْبَاطٌ، وَإِسْرَائِيلُ، وَزَائِدَةُ، وَالْحَسَنُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ طَهْمَانَ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَرِدْ بِهِ سِمَاكٌ، فَقَدْ قَالَ شَرِيكٌ: «سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ حَرْبٍ»[3].
Translation:
Mansoor said: This is how it has been stated in the book Musnad al-Bazzar that is with me. And in Sahih Muslim, it has been stated: “This religion will always be upheld, and a group of Muslims will fight for it until the Day of Judgment arrives.” And this is an authentic Hadith that Shu‘bah, Sharik, Asbat, Isra’il, Za’idah, Hasan ibn Salih, and Ibrahim ibn Tahman have narrated from Simak ibn Harb. And Simak is not alone in narrating it; because Sharik has said: “I heard it from his brother, Ibrahim ibn Harb, as well.”
Attestation no. 1
وَرَوَى عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ [ت290هـ] فِي زِيَادَاتِهِ عَلَى «الْمُسْنَدِ»[4]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْأُمَوِيُّ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، حَدَّثَنَا مُجَالِدٌ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ يَقُولُ: «لَا يَزَالُ هَذَا الدِّينُ ظَاهِرًا عَلَى كُلِّ مَنْ نَاوَأَهُ، لَا يَضُرُّهُ مَنْ خَالَفَهُ أَوْ فَارَقَهُ».
Translation:
Also, Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal [d. 290 AH], in what he has added to Musnad, has narrated and said: Sa‘id ibn Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Umawi narrated to me, (he said:) My father narrated to me, (he said:) Mujalid narrated to me, from Amir ibn Sa‘d, from Jabir ibn Samurah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say in the Farewell Pilgrimage: “This religion will always prevail over whoever is hostile toward it, and one who opposes it or separates from it will not harm it.”
Attestation no. 2
وَرَوَى الطَّبَرَانِيُّ [ت360هـ] فِي «الْمُعْجَمِ الْكَبِيرِ»[5]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ؛ وَرَوَى الْخَطِيبُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ [ت463هـ] فِي «تَارِيخِ بَغْدَادَ»[6]، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْمُعَدَّلُ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الصَّفَّارُ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّاسُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الدُّورِيُّ؛ قَالَا: حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمُ بْنُ عُمَرَ الْمُقَدَّمِيُّ، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ فِطْرِ بْنِ خَلِيفَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي خَالِدٍ الْوَالِبِيِّ، وَمَعْبَدٍ الْجَدَلِيِّ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، قَالَ: «لَا يَزَالُ هَذَا الْأَمْرُ ظَاهِرًا، لَا يَضُرُّهُ مَنْ نَاوَأَهُ».
Translation:
Also, al-Tabarani [d. 360 AH] has narrated in the book al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir and said: Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated to us; also, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi [d. 463 AH] has narrated in the book Tarikh Baghdad and said: Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Mu‘addal informed us, he said: Isma‘il ibn Muhammad al-Saffar informed us, he said: Abbas ibn Muhammad al-Duri narrated to us; they (both) said: Asim ibn Umar al-Muqaddami narrated to us, he said: My father narrated to us, from Fitr ibn Khalifah, from Abu Khalid al-Walibi and Ma‘bad al-Jadali, from Jabir ibn Samurah, from the Prophet , who said: ‘This matter will always prevail, and one who is hostile toward it does not harm it.”
Consideration
قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لِجَابِرِ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ حَدِيثٌ آخَرُ أَتَمُّ مِنْ هَذَا وَأَشْهَرُ، وَهُوَ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُرَادَ بِالْعِصَابَةِ الَّتِي بِهَا قِيَامُ الدِّينِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ خَلِيفَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ.
Translation:
Mansoor said: There is also another hadith for Jabir ibn Samurah, which is more complete and well-known than this one, and it indicates that the intended meaning of the group by whom the religion is upheld is twelve caliphs from the Quraysh.