Hadith No. 7
The Ummah is never devoid of 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 way that) he has said: Ibrahim ibn Haytham al-Baladi narrated to us, (he said:) Muhammad ibn Kathir al-Misseysi narrated to us, (he said:) al-Awza‘i narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Anas ibn Malik who said: The Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said:
“A number of my Ummah will always victoriously fight 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, may God protect him, said: They have disagreed about Muhammad ibn Kathir al-Misseysi; some of them have considered him trustworthy, and some have weakened him, and it has been said that he went wrong in this chain of narrators, but he is not alone in narrating this Hadith:
Attestation No. 1
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, he has 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 God, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, said: “A number of 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, may God protect him, said: There is an excess in the narration of al-Awza‘i that is not correct, and it is: “And he pointed toward the Levant,” which does not exist in the narration of Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, and something has been narrated from al-Awza‘i that indicates it is from the words of Qatadah and not from the Hadith, and it is this: “Qatadah narrated this Hadith to me and thought that they are people of the Levant.” Thus, everything else with this meaning found within the narrations of the chapter and believed to be the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, is actually the words of some narrators in the interpretation of the Hadith, which they have concealed from people in order to incite them to obey the rulers and expand the conquests during the era of the Umayyads, and it has been made clear in some narrations that it is the words of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him and his family, but they have been distorted, and people of the Levant have manipulated this Hadith, so have insight and do not be one of the ignorant.