Hadith No. 7

The Ummah is never without one who rises upon the command of Allah.

رَوَى الْبُخَارِيُّ [ت256هـ] فِي «صَحِيحِهِ»[1]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا الْوَلِيدُ بْنُ مُسْلِمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جَابِرٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عُمَيْرُ بْنُ هَانِئٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ:

لَا يَزَالُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أُمَّةٌ قَائِمَةٌ بِأَمْرِ اللَّهِ، مَا يَضُرُّهُمْ مَنْ كَذَّبَهُمْ وَلَا مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ، حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ وَهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ.

Translation:

Al-Bukhari [d. 256 AH] has narrated in his Sahih, (in this manner that) he has said: Al-Humaydi narrated to us, (he said:) Walid ibn Muslim narrated to us, (he said:) Ibn Jabir narrated to us, (he said:) Umair ibn Hani narrated to me from Mu‘awiyah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah say:

A group from my Ummah will always rise upon the command of Allah. One who denies them and one who opposes them do not harm them, until the command of Allah comes while they are in this state.

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: هَذَا حَدِيثٌ ثَابِتٌ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ، رَوَاهُ عَنْهُ عُمَيْرُ بْنُ هَانِئٍ، وَيَزِيدُ بْنُ الْأَصَمِّ، وَحُمَيْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَامِرٍ، وَشُعَيْبُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو، وَيُونُسُ بْنُ مَيْسَرَةَ، وَمُسْلِمُ بْنُ هُرْمُزَ، وَنُمَيْرُ بْنُ أَوْسٍ، وَثَابِتُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، وَعُبَيْدُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ، وَابْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، وَأَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الشَّامِيُّ، وَلَا نَعْتَدُّ بِحَدِيثِ مُعَاوِيَةَ إِلَّا إِذَا تُوبِعَ، وَإِنْ قِيلَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يُتَّهَمُ فِي الْحَدِيثِ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ[2]، وَعِنْدِي فِي سَمَاعِهِ لِهَذَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَيْبٌ؛ فَإِنَّهُ رَوَاهُ مَرَّةً عَنْ رَجُلٍ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ:

Translation:

Mansoor said: This is a verified hadith from Mu‘awiyah, which Umair ibn Hani, Yazid ibn Asam, Humayd ibn Abd al-Rahman, Abdullah ibn Amir, Shu‘aib ibn Abdullah ibn Amr, Yunus ibn Maysarah, Muslim ibn Hurmuz, Numayr ibn Aws, Thabit ibn Sa‘d, Ubaid ibn Sa‘d, ibn Abi Maryam, and Abu Abdullah al-Shami have narrated from him. And we do not consider Mu‘awiyah’s hadith unless another person has narrated it alongside him, even though it has been said that he was not accused (of lying) in narrating from the Messenger of Allah . And I doubt that he heard this Hadith from the Messenger of Allah ; because he narrated it once from a man from the Ansar:

Attestation No. 1

رَوَى أَبُو دَاوُدَ الطَّيَالِسِيُّ [ت204هـ] فِي «مُسْنَدِهِ»[3]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الشَّامِيِّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ مُعَاوِيَةَ يَخْطُبُ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ: يَا أَهْلَ الشَّامِ، حَدَّثَنِي الْأَنْصَارِيُّ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ».

Translation:

Abu Dawud al-Tayalisi [d. 204 AH] has narrated in his Musnad and said: Shu‘bah narrated to us from Abu Abdullah al-Shami, who said: I heard Mu‘awiyah deliver a sermon and say: O people of Sham! One of the Ansar narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah said: “A group from my Ummah will always fight upon the truth until the command of Allah comes.”

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: قَالَ مُعَاوِيَةُ بَعْدَ رِوَايَتِهِ لِلْحَدِيثِ: «إِنِّي أَرَاكُمُوهُمْ يَا أَهْلَ الشَّامِ»، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ كَمَا رَأَى، فَصَدَقَ فِي الرِّوَايَةِ وَكَذَبَ فِي التَّأْوِيلِ، وَقَالَ شُعْبَةُ أَنَّهُ عَنَى بِالْأَنْصَارِيِّ زَيْدَ بْنَ أَرْقَمَ[4]، وَالْأَقْرَبُ عِنْدِي أَنَّهُ عَنَى النُّعْمَانَ بْنَ بَشِيرٍ؛ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ أَنْصَارِيًّا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ مِنَ الْأَنْصَارِ غَيْرَهُ، وَهُوَ مِمَّنْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ:

Translation:

Mansoor said: After narrating this Hadith, Mu‘awiyah said: “O people of Sham! I assume that you are those people,” and it was not as he assumed. So he told the truth in narration and was mistaken in its interpretation. And Shu‘bah has said that by “one of the Ansar,” he meant Zayd ibn Arqam. But what seems more likely to me is that he meant Nu‘man ibn Bashir; because he was from the Ansar, and no one else from the Ansar was with Mu‘awiyah. And he is also one of those who have narrated this Hadith:

Attestation No. 2

رَوَى ابْنُ أَبِي حَاتَمٍ [ت327هـ] فِي «تَفْسِيرِهِ»[5]، قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، ثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ وَمُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْمُصَفَّى الْحِمْصِيُّ، قَالَا: قَالَ يَحْيَى بْنُ سَعِيدٍ الْحِمْصِيُّ، ثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَبْدٍ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَمْرٍو الْأَنْصَارِيَّ يَقُولُ: قَالَ النُّعْمَانُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ظَاهِرِينَ لَا يُبَالُونَ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ»، قَالَ النُّعْمَانُ: فَمَنْ قَالَ إِنِّي أَقُولُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَا لَمْ يَقُلْ، فَإِنَّ تَصْدِيقَ ذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: ﴿وَجَاعِلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوكَ فَوْقَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ ۖ ثُمَّ إِلَيَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ فِيمَا كُنْتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ﴾[6].

Translation:

Ibn Abi Hatim [d. 327 AH] has narrated in his Tafsir and said: My father narrated to me, (he said:) Uthman ibn Sa‘id and Muhammad ibn Musaffa al-Himsi narrated to us, they said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Himsi said: Umar ibn Amr ibn Abd narrated to us, he said: I heard Abu Amr al-Ansari say that Nu‘man said from the pulpit: I heard the Messenger of Allah say: “A group from my Ummah will always be victorious. They will not care about one who opposes them, until the command of Allah comes.” (Then) Nu‘man said: If someone says that I am attributing something to the Messenger of Allah that he did not say, then its confirmation is in the Book of Allah. Allah, Exalted and Majestic, has said: “And I place those who followed you above those who disbelieved until the Day of Judgment. Then, to Me is your return. Then I shall judge between you concerning what you used to differ.”

Consideration

قَالَ الْمَنْصُورُ حَفِظَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: لَقَدْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُعَاوِيَةَ أَيْضًا الْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ، وَأَبُو أُمَامَةَ، وَكَعْبُ بْنُ مُرَّةٍ الْبَهْزِيُّ.

Translation:

Mansoor said: Among the companions of Mu‘awiyah, Mughirah ibn Shu‘bah, Abu Umamah, and Ka‘b ibn Murrah al-Bahzi have also narrated this Hadith.