Nawawī’s Arbaýīn

A Collection of Forty Traditions of the Prophet ﷺ

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Grasping The Sunnah Firmly - Hadith 28

عَنْ أَبي تَجِيحِ العِرْباضِ بنِ سَاريةَ رَضِي اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: وَعَظَنا رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَوْعِظَةً وَجِلَتْ مِنْها القُلوبُ، وَذَرَفَتْ مِنْها العُيُونُ فَقُلْنا: يا رسولَ اللهِ، كَأَنَّهَا مَوْعِظَةُ مُوَدِّعٍ فَأَوْصِنا. قالَ: أُوصِيكُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَالسَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ، وَإِنْ تَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَبْدٌ حَبَشِيٌّ، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ يَعِشْ مِنْكُمْ فَسَيَرى اخْتِلاَفًا كَثِيرًا, فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخَلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ , تَمَسَّكُوا بِهَا , وَعَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحْدَثَاتِ الأُمُورِ؛ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ مُحْدَثَةٍ بِدْعَةٌ , وَكُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلاَلَةٌ رواهُ أبو داودَ والتّرمِذِيُّ ، وقالَ: حديثٌ حَسَنٌ صحيحٌ

Narrated by Abū Najīĥ Írbāđ ibn Sāriyah radiyAllāhu Anhu, and he said: RasūlAllāh ﷺ once gave a sermon that melted the hearts and welled up the eyes. We said: “O Messenger of Allāh! This is as if it were the last[1] sermon, so give us counsel as your bequest.[2] He ﷺ said:

I enjoin you to fear Allāh, the Glorious and Majestic. And to obey your rulers, even if the person [ruling] upon you is an Abyssinian slave.[3] Indeed, those amongst you who will live longer, will see many disagreements. So, it is necessary upon you to follow my tradition [sunnah] and the tradition [sunnah] of the rightly guided caliphs, the guiding successors[4] [khulafā’a al-rashidīn al-mahdiyyīn]. Hold fast unto this with gritted teeth.[5] Beware of innovated practices,[6] for every innovation is a heresy and every heresy is a misguidance.

This is reported by Abū Dāwūd and Tirmidhī, who said that the ĥadīth is Ĥasan-Şaĥīĥ.[7]

Notes:

[1] Muwaddiý: the furthest; in word and deed after which there will not be another.

[2] When they felt that this sermon would perhaps be the last, they asked for counsel that would be comprehensive and sufficient, as if it were his last bequest to them [Haytamī].

[3] Haytamī: Technically, a slave cannot become a ruler; this is probably mentioned as a maxim. Also, this is among the miracles of RasūlAllāh ﷺ, wherein he informed about events that would occur after his passing – such as differences and the predominance of evil. RasūlAllāh ﷺ knew about these things, both generic and specific details, because he was shown [kushifa lahu] all that would transpire until the time people would enter and settle in their places in Paradise or in Fire. However, he would not tell this to everyone – though he would warn everyone about the impending evil in generic words, he would confide specific details to some individuals such as Ĥudhayfah and Abū Hurayrah radiyAllāhu Anhu.

[4] The rightly guided successors of the Prophet ﷺ in order: Our masters, Abū Bakr, Úmar, Úthmān and Álī; Ĥasan [ibn Álī] and thereafter, other Companions radiyAllāhu Anhum.

[5] Nawājidh: Wisdom teeth; a metaphor for holding on to something firmly.

[6] Ibn Daqīq al-Ýīd: Know that the new practices [muĥdath] are of two kinds – a novel practice that has no basis in the Sharīáh; this is impermissible and is deplorable. A new practice which is based on a similar action [mentioned in the Sharīáh] and this is not objectionable or condemned. Actions cannot be condemned merely if they are described by the words muĥdath or bidáh [new practices]; rather, they are reprehensible only if they contradict the sunnah and lead towards misguidance.

[7] Abū Dāwūd 4607; Tirmidhī 2676.

References:

1. Nawawī’s Arbaýīn, Collection of Forty Traditions of the Prophet ﷺ, Hadith 28

[ English Translation ]

Mawlana Abu Hasan Ridawi,

Ridawi Press.