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Hadeeth Thirty Six: The Muslim Knows His Own Worth

 

From Aboo Hurairah (radiyallaahu ‘anhu) who said that Allaah’s Messenger () said:

There will come upon the people years of deceit in which the liar will be believed, the truthful disbelieved, the treacherous will be trusted and the trustworthy held to be treacherous, and the despicable (ar-Ruwaybidah) will speak out. It was said: Who are the despicable ones (ar-Ruwaybidah)? He said: The lowly, ignoble man who speaks out about the public affairs.[1]

 

So by knowing his own worth he will behave as befits him in all affairs and on one will harm the efforts of others. It is just as Ibn Hazm, rahimahullaah, said: There is nothing more harmful to the branches of knowledge and its people than those who enter themselves into it and they are not from its people. They are ignorant and yet they think they have knowledge, they cause corruption whilst thinking they are correcting the affairs.[2]

May Allaah have mercy upon the one who said: Every crazed fool has put himself forward to teach, dull witted, yet claiming to be a scholar and teacher. So it if fitting that the people of knowledge should quote the ancient poem, famous and quoted in every sitting: The (sheep) has become so weak and emaciated that its kidneys are visible, so that even every poor ignorant person would pass it by.

So we seek Allaah’s refuge from a soul which arrogantly seeks to raise itself to the level of the mountains where as to Allaah it does not equal even a seed! And to the people of knowledge and the students it is weak and collapsed. Sot it is as is said: ‘If those who did not know remained silent then it would be an end to disagreement.’ Then the key to all of this is that each person should know their own words and station, and then not transgress by overstepping their bounds and Allaah alone is the One who grants success.

So when the obedient servant knows this, then it is binding upon him that he should:

 

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Notes:

[1] Reported by Ahmad (no.7899), Ibn Maajah (no.4036) and others and its chain of narration is weak due to ‘Abdul Maalik ibn Qudaamah who is weak and Ishaaq ibn Abil Furaat who is unknown. However it has another chain of narration reported by Ahmad (no.8440) and it has a witnessing narration reported by Ahmad also (3/220), so the hadeeth is supported to the level of hasan.

[2] Quoted by our noble friend and brother Shaykh Bakr Aboo Zayd in his excellent book: at-Ta‘aalam wa Atharuhu ‘alal Fikr wal Kitaab (p.7).