English
Hudhaifah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: People used to ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about good, but I used to ask him about evil, fearing it would overtake me. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, we were in ignorance and evil, then Allah brought us this good. Is there 1 after this good any evil?” He said: “Yes.” I said: “And is there after that evil any good?” He said: “Yes, but it will have some taint.” I said: “What is its taint?” He said: “A people who follow other than my Sunnah and guide by other than my guidance; you will recognize some of their deeds and disapprove of others.” I said: “Is there after that good any evil?” He said: “Yes, callers at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to their call, they will cast him into it.” I said: “O Messenger of Allah, describe them to us.” He said: “They are from our skin and speak our tongues.” I said: “What do you command me if that overtakes me?” He said: “Hold fast to the community of Muslims and their leader.” I said: “What if they have no community or leader?” He said: “Then withdraw from all those groups, even if you must bite onto the root of a tree until death overtakes you in that state.” [Agreed Upon]
In a narration by Muslim: He said: “After me, there will be leaders who do not follow my guidance nor adhere to my Sunnah. Men will rise among them with the hearts of devils in human form.” Hudhaifah said: I said: “What should I do, O Messenger of Allah, if that overtakes me?” He said: “Listen and obey the leader, even if he strikes your back and takes your wealth; listen and obey.”
Possible references (unverified, pending editorial review)
- Candidate: Sahih al-Bukhari 3606 (unverified) 99% confidence
- Candidate: Sahih Muslim 1847a (unverified) 99% confidence
Confidence and text similarity are not editorial verification.
Commentary and footnotes (2)
Note 1
(1) His statement: “Is there after this good any evil” – it is said: The first evil refers to the trials that occurred during the killing of Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and afterward. The second good refers to what occurred during the caliphate of Umar ibn Abd Al-Aziz (may Allah be pleased with him). Those “you recognize and disapprove of” refer to the rulers after him, some adhering to the Sunnah and justice, others calling to innovation and acting unjustly, or some doing good at times and evil at others, depending on their pursuit of desires and worldly goals, not aiming to prioritize the Hereafter or uphold it, as some rulers of our time do. Alternatively, the first evil refers to the trial of Uthman and what followed, the second good to the reconciliation of Al-Hasan with Muawiyah and the consensus upon him, and the taint to what occurred in his time from some rulers like Ziyad in Iraq and the opposition of the Khawarij. His statement: “callers at the gates of Hell” – the plural of caller. Al-Ashraf said: A group calling people to misguidance and blocking them from guidance through various deceptions, from good to evil, Sunnah to innovation, and asceticism to worldly desire. The Prophet (ﷺ) made the callers’ invitation and the response of the invited a cause for casting them into Hell and their entry into it, likening each type of deception to a gate of Hell. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 1
(۱) قوله : فهل بعد هذا الخير من شر إلخ : قيل : المرد بالشر الأول الفتن التي وقعت عند قتل عثمان الله وما بعده، وبالخير الثاني ما وقع في خلافة عمر بن عبد العزيز الله وبالذين تعرف منهم وتنكر الأمراء بعده، فكان فيهم من يتمسك بالسنة والعدل، ومنهم من يدعو إلى البدعة ويعمل بالجور، أو ومنهم من يعمل بالمعروف تارة ويعمل بالمنكر أخرى، بحسب ما يقع لهم من تتبع الهوى وتحصيل غرضهم من أمور الدنيا، لا أنهم يريدون تحري الأخرى، ورعاية الدار الأخرى كما عليه بعض أمراء زماننا. وقيل: المراد من الشر الأول فتنة عثمان الله وما بعده، وبالخير الثاني ما وقع من صلح الحسن مع معاوية والإجماع عليه، وبالدخن ما كان في زمنه من بعض الأمراء كزياد بالعراق، وخلاف من خالف عليه من الخوارج. وقوله: دعاة على أبواب جهنم جمع داع، قال الأشرف أي جماعة يدعون الناس إلى الضلالة ويصدونهم عن الهدى بأنواع من التلبيس، ومن الخير إلى الشر، ومن السنة إلى البدعة، ومن الزهد إلى الرغبة، جعل النبي دعوة الدعاة وإجابة المدعوين سببًا لإدخالهم إياهم في جهنم ودخولهم فيها، وجعل كل نوع من أنواع التلبيس بمنزلة باب من أبواب جهنم. كذا في «المرقاة».