The Muslims’ Survival Guide

The Muslims’ Survival Guide

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

عَنْ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ الشَّعْبَانِيِّ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ – رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ – «فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ} [المائدة: 105] . فَقَالَ: أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتُ عَنْهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ – صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ – فَقَالَ: ” بَلِ ائْتَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَتَنَاهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَيْتَ شُحًّا مُطَاعًا، وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعًا، وَدُنْيَا مُؤْثَرَةً، وَإِعْجَابَ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْيٍ بِرَأْيِهِ، وَرَأَيْتَ أَمْرًا لَا بُدَّ لَكَ مِنْهُ فَعَلَيْكَ نَفْسَكَ، وَدَعْ أَمْرَ الْعَوَامِّ، فَإِنَّ وَرَاءَكُمْ أَيَّامَ الصَّبْرِ، فَمَنْ صَبَرَ فِيهِنَّ قَبَضَ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ، لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِنَّ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلًا يَعْمَلُونَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ “. قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْهُمْ؟ قَالَ: أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ» “

Abu Umayyah Sha’bani said:“I came to Abu Tha’labah Al-Khushani and said: ‘How do you understand this Verse?’ He “O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the (right) guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who are in error.”?[5:105] He said: ‘ I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it and he said: “Enjoin good upon one another and forbid one another from evil, but if you see overwhelming stinginess, desires being followed, this world being preferred (to the Hereafter), every person with an opinion feeling amazed with it, and you realize that you have no power to deal with it, then you have to mind your own business and leave the common folk to their own devices. After you will come days which require patience, and remaining patient during those days will be like grasping a burning piece of coal, and one who does good deeds will have a reward like that of fifty men doing the same deed.” They said: Oh, Messenger of Allah, fifty men from among themselves?” He (ﷺ) replied:50 men from yourselves.”[1]

Benefits of this Topic:

1. Some scholars have placed this hadith under the chapter headings, “How to interact with the dregs of society,” and “When enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong is abandoned” and “What Allah gives to those who obey Him.”
2. This hadith is a proof of Prophethood for Muhammad (ﷺ) as he spoke about something that would happen in the future during and is happening today. Since these things have started happening life has become difficult for those trying to adhere to their religion.
3. Ibn Mas’ud (Radi Allahu anhu): “At the end of times people’s hearts will be divided and they will split up into sects and thus mistreat each other.”[2]
4. O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the (right) guidance, no harm can come to you from those who are in error.”?  This verse refers to the people who will come after the Sahabah. They will be overwhelmed with their stinginess, immersed in their temptations and evil desires, and they will give preference to this world (to the Hereafter), and every person with an opinion will feel satisfied with it. Thus, such people will not accept advise.[3]
5. O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow the (right) guidance, no harm can come to you from those who are in error.”?  Abu Jafar At-Tabari said: Oh, you who believe focus on yourself and rectify yourself by doing deeds that protect you from the punishment of Allah. Practice acts that bring you closer to Him and hence no harm can come to you from those who are in error. Those in error are the people are not travelling on the right path. You will not be affected if you are guided and believe in your Lord, obey Him in what He commanded you do, and stay away from what He has prohibited you from. Consequently, you avoid the Haraam and enjoy the Halal.[4]
6. “But if you see overwhelming stinginess…” When you see majority of the people being stingy and tight-fisted. This type of stinginess isn’t only related to money, but having greed in collecting wealth and not wanting to disburse Zakah , or Sadaqah with others; and are stingy with other charitable acts. i.e giving free food, free clothes, loaning a person something and etc.[5] Whatever they do spend in a charitable way inside themselves they consider it a loss.
7. “Desires being followed…” This means that you’ll see people following their evil desires and temptations and rejecting the correct guidance.[6]
8. “This world being preferred (to the Hereafter)…” This refers to people pursuing this worldly life by collecting wealth and abandoning good deeds. This is similar to how we see people intentionally setting their alarm clock at night for 6:30am , and deliberately missing the Fajr Prayer! What’s more, is people will be doing whatever it takes to get a position of power or to raise their status in this world. This is parallel to those people cheating and offering bribes to reach their objectives.[7]

1. “ Every person with an opinion feeling proud of it… These are the people you’ll giving verdicts from their own desires and whims and feel amazed with themselves. They don’t regularly return to the scholars, nor the Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus of this ummah to check their understanding. Besides, if they do then they rely on their own understanding and interpretation. Hence, whatever they view as good although it might not be then they consider it good and thus don’t accept correction or advise.  This is identical to the pandemic of podcasts and Youtubers opening up channels and discussing issues in which they aren’t qualified to deal with. Sadly to say some of them have even added the title Sheikh to their names.[8]
2. “And you realize that you have no power to deal with it, then you have to mind your own business and leave the common folk to their own devices…”  At this phase public sinning will be widespread and you will not be able to address people; as some will have authority and advising them could cause you more harm. Other people will feel as though you are judging them and have right to do so. When in fact you are ONLY trying to help their souls. Therefore, when this occurs mind your own business and don’t sin publicly or privately. Minding your own business also includes worrying about yourself and those under your care. i.e spouse and children.[9]
3. “After you will come days of patience, during which patience will be like grasping a burning piece of coal,…”  During these days and time, one must remain patient in being obedient towards Allah. Being patient is the only way of salvation in this time. The words grasping a burning piece of coal displays the difficulty a patient person will encounter while trying to the right thing. Reflect over how hard it is to touch something while it’s burning then imagine trying to place it in the palm of your hands. How long could you hold it for? This informs that everywhere around us where we will notice misguidance being prevalent, temptations being followed, misguided callers amazed with themselves on their large platforms of followers leading people astray.
4. ” and one who does good deeds will have a reward like that of fifty men doing the same deed.” They said : Oh Messenger of Allah , fifty men from among themselves?” He (ﷺ) replied:50 men from yourselves.”  Sheikh Izuddeen Ibn Abdis Salam said: This implies that actions give a person nobility and that the strangeness of Islam at the end of times will be like the strangeness of it in the beginning.
5. The Prophet (ﷺ) gave an edict in this hadith that it’s better to distance yourself from people when you notice these things happening.
6. The focus is how to mind your own business when you find yourself unable to enact correction or change. Limit your exposure to wrongdoing and wrongdoers having access to you. This will limit temptation or the evil that we witness having a common place in out hearts.
7. Busy yourself with reminders and take some time to read with contemplation and reflection over Allah’s words and the Prophetic Sunnah.
8. Accept that you have no power to guide or change the people you love; so don’t become saddened when they go in error. Remember those better than us experienced similar situations. Hence, their stories are instructions on how  to handle our difficulties  and Allah knows best.

Prepared by the one in need of Allah’s Mercy;

Abu Aaliyah Abdullah ibn Dwight Battle

Doha,Qatar 1443AH©

[1]Abu Dawud 4341, Jami At-Tirmithi 3058, Ibn Majah 4041-Imam At-Tirmithi graded this hadith as being Hasan

[2] الاسنتذكار , by Ibn Abdul Bar, vol 2pg 272

[3][3] جامع العلوم و الحكم ,  by Ibn Rajab, under hadith number 35

[4] Tafsir At-Tabari

[5] Rerfer to Mafathi Sharh Musabih vol 5, pg 264. and

[6] ibid

[7] Ibid and Tufathul Ahwathi vol 8,pg 337

[8] ibid

[9] ibid