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 Bābawayh [Died in 381 AH] has narrated in the book of “Kamāl al-Din wa Tamām al-Ni’mah”, (in this way that) has said: My father narrated to us, he said: Muhammad ibn Yahyā al-‘Attār narrated to us, from Ya’qub ibn Yazid, from Muhammad ibn Abi ‘Umayr, from Sa’d ibn Abi Khalaf, from Ya’qub ibn Shu’ayb, from Abu Abdullah (Ja’far ibn Muhammad al-Sādiq) peace be upon him that said:

There was a gap of five hundred years between Isā and Muhammad peace be upon them, that there was no Prophet or visible knowledgeable one in two hundred and fifty years of it. I said: So what were (people)? He said: They adhered to the religion of Isā peace be upon him. I said: How were they? He said: They were believers, then he said: And the earth will not be unless there is a knowledgeable one in 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 may God protect him, said: Bukhāri [Died in 256 AH] has narrated in his “Sahih”, has said: Hasan ibn Mudrik narrated to me, (he said:) Yahyā ibn Hammād narrated to us, (he said:) Abu ‘Awānah informed us, from ‘Asim al-Ahwal, from Abu ‘Uthmān, from Salmān that said: “The gap between Isā and Muhammad peace and blessings of God be upon them, was six hundred years” and it has been narrated from Qatādah: 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 Jurayh: five hundred years, like that which has been narrated from Ja’far ibn Muhammad, and the famous one among the researchers is five hundred and seventy years, and ibn Hibbān [Died in 354 AH] has narrated in his “Sahih”, has said: Abu Ya’lā informed us, (he said:) Abu Hammām narrated to us, (he said:) Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us, from Haytham ibn Humayd, from Wadhin ibn ‘Atā, from Nasr ibn ‘Alqamah, from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, Abu al-Dardā that said: The Messenger of God peace and blessing of God be upon him and his household, said: “The followers of Isā adhered to his tradition and religion for two hundred years”, but it is not true; because most of them after him, went astray by following Paul, unless the meaning is that there was always someone among them, visible and famous, who adhered to the tradition and religion of Isā for two hundred years, and after that there was no such person among them, and their knowledgeable ones were hidden and anonymous; as something close to it has been said in the narration of Ja’far peace be upon him, where he has said: “There was no Prophet or visible knowledgeable one in two hundred and fifty years”, and it has been narrated that he mentioned Christians and their enmity (toward Islam and Muslims), then a man said: God Almighty has said: “There are priests and monks among them and they do not act arrogantly”, then he said: “They were a group between Isā and Muhammad peace and blessings of God be upon him and his household, who were waiting for the arrival of Muhammad peace and blessings of God be upon him and his household”.