Chapter 1: PROHIBITION OF MAKING A HOT PURSUIT OF
THE ALLEGORIES CONTAINED IN THE QUR'AN, AND AVOIDING THOSE
WHO DO IT, AND OF DISPUTATION IN THE QUR'AN
'A'isha reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) recited (these verses of the Qur'an):" He it is
Who revealed to thee (Muhammad) the Book (the Qur'an)
wherein there are clear revelations-these are the
substance of the Book and others are allegorical (verses).
And as for those who have a yearning for error they go
after the allegorical verses seeking (to cause)
dissension, by seeking to explain them. And none knows
their implications but Allah, and those who are sound in
knowledge say: We affirm our faith in everything which is
from our Lord. It is only the persons of understanding who
really heed" (iii. 6). 'A'isha (further) reported that
Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said (in
connection with these verses): When you see such verses,
avoid them, for it is they whom Allah has pointed out (in
the mentioned verses).
'Abdullah b. 'Umar reported: I went to Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) in the morning and he
heard the voice of two persons who had an argumenta- tion
with each other about a verse. Allah's Apostle (may peace
be upon him) came to us (and) the (signs) of anger could
be seen on his face. He said: Verily, the (peoples) before
you were ruined because of their disputation in the Book.
Jundub b. 'Abdullah al-Bajali reported Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: Recite the
Qur'an as long as your hearts agree to do so, and when you
feel variance between them (between your hearts and
tongues), then get up (and leave its recital for the time
being).
Jundub (i. e. Ibn 'Abdullah) reported that Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Recite the Qur'an
as long as your hearts agree to do so and when you find
variance between them, then stand up.
Abu Imran reported that Jundub told us as we we-re
young boys living in Kilfa, that Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) had said: Recite the Qur'an. The rest
of the hadith is the same.
'A'isha reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) as saying: The most despicable amongst persons in the
eye of Allah is one who tries to fall into dispute with
others (for nothing but only to display his knowledge and
power of argumentation).
Chapter 3: FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE JEWS
AND THE CHRISTIANS
Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) as saying: You would tread the same
path as was trodden by those before you inch by inch and
step by step so much so that if they had entered into the
hole of the lizard, you would follow them in this also. We
said: Allah's Messenger, do you mean Jews and Christians
(by your words)" those before you"? He said: Who else
(than those two religious groups)?
Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon
him) as saying: Ruined, were those who indulged in
hair-splitting. He (the Holy Prophet) repeated this
thrice.
Chapter 5: KNOWLEDGE WOULD BE TAKEN AWAY, AND
IGNORANCE WOULD PREVAIL UPON PEOPLE AND THE TURMOIL AT THE
END OF THE WORLD
Anas b. Malik reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) as saying: It is from the conditions of the Last
Hour that knowledge would be taken away and ignorance
would prevail (upon the world), the liquor would be drunk,
and adultery would become rainpant.
Qatida reported that Anas b. Malik said: May I not
narrate to you a hadith which I heard from Allah's
Messenger (may peace be upon him) which no one would
narrate to you after me who would have personally heard it
from him (the Holy Prophet) (as I have the good fortune to
do so)? -" It is from the signs of the Last Hour that
knowledge would be taken away, ignorance would prevail
upon (the world), adultery would become common, wine would
be drunk, the number of men will fall short and the women
would survive (and thus such a disparity would arise in
the number of men and women) that there would be one man
to look after fifty women.
Abu Wa'il reported: I was sitting with 'Abdullah and
Abu Musa that they reported Allah's Messenger (may peace
be upon him) having said: Prior to the Last Hour, there
would be a time when knowledge would be taken away, and
ignorance would take its place and there would be
bloodshed on a large scale.
Abu Wa'il reported: I was sitting with Abu Musa and
'Abdullah and they were conversing with each other and Abu
Musa reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as
saying (that we find in the above-mentioned ahadith).
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) as saying: (When) the time would draw close to
the Last Hour, knowledge would be snatched away, turmoil
would be rampant, miserliness would be put (in the hearts
of the people) and therewould be much bloodshed. They
said: What is al-harj? Thereupon he said: It is bloodshed.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) having said: The time would draw close to the
Last Hour and knowledge would decrease. The rest of the
hadith is the same.
This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of
Abu Huraira through other chains of narrators and there is
no mention of:" Miserliness would be put (in the hearts of
the people)."
'Abdullah b. 'Amr b. al-'As reported Allah's Messenger
(may peace be upon him) as saying: Verily, Allah does nit
take away knowledge by snatching it from the people but Re
takes away knowledge by taking away the scholars, so that
when He leaves no learned person, people turn to ignorant
as their, leaders; then they are asked to deliver
religious verdicts and they deliver them without
knowledge, they go astray, and lead others astray.
This hadith has been narrated on the authority of
'Abdullah b. Umar through other chains of transmitters,
but in the hadith transmitted by Umar b. 'Ali there is an
addition of these words:, I met 'Abdullah b. 'Amr at the
end of the year and I asked him about it, and he narrated
to us the hadith as he had narrated before that he had
heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as
saying.... (The rest of the hadith is the same).
'Urwa b. Zubair reported that 'A'isha said to him: This
news has reached me that 'Abdullah b. 'Amr al-'As would
pass by us during the Hajj season, so you meet him and ask
him (about religious matters) as he has acquired great
knowledge from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).
I thus met him and asked him about things which he
narrated from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him).
And amongst these the one he mentioned was that Allah's
Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: Verily, Allah does
not take away knowledge from people directly but he takes
away the scholars and consequently takes away (knowledge)
along with them and leaves amongst persons the ignorant as
their leaders who deliver religious verdicts without
(adequate) knowledge and themselves go astray and lead
others astray. 'Urwa said: When I narrated this to 'A'isha,
she deemed it too much (to believe) and thus showed
reluctance to accept that (as perfectly true) and said to,
'Urwa: Did he ('Abdullah b. 'Amr) say to you that he had
heard Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) as saying:
('Urwa had forgotten to ask this from 'Abdullah b. 'Amr).
So when it was the next year, she ('A'isha) said to him ('Urwa):
Ibn Amr has come (for Hajj), so meet him. talk to him and
ask him about this hadith that he narrated to You (last
year on the occasion of the Hajj) pertaining to knowledge.
He ('Urwa), said: So I met him, and asked about it and he
narrated to me exactly like one that he had narrated (to
me) for the first time. So when I informed her ('A'isha)
about that, she said: I do not think but this that he has
certainly told the truth and I find that be has neither
made any addition to it, nor missed anything from it.
Chapter 6: PERTAINING TO ONE WHO INTRODUCED
SOMETHING GOOD OR EVIL, OR HE WHO CALLED TO RIGHTEOUSNESS OR
TO THE PATH OF ERROR
Jarir b. Abdullah reported that some desert Arabs clad
in woollen clothes came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him). He saw them in sad plight as they had been hard
pressed by need. He (the Holy Prophet) exhorted people to
give charity, but they showed some reluctance until
(signs) of anger could be seen on his face. Then a person
from the Ansar came with a purse containing silver. Then
came another person and then other persons followed them
in succession until signs of happiness could be seen on
his (sacred) face. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace
be upon him) said: He who introduced some good practice in
Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be
assured of reward like one who followed it, without their
rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who
introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been
followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to
bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil
practice) without their's being diminished in any respect.
Jarir b. 'Abdullah reported Allah's Messenger (may
peace be upon him) as saying: The servant does not
introduce good practice which is followed after him....
The rest of the hadith is the same.
Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be
upon him) as saying: He who called (people) to
righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him
like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their
rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called
(people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of
its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins
being diminished in any respect.