THE STRANGERS
THE STRANGERS
Shaykh al-Islam, [al-Harawi al-Ansari], said, ‘Allah, Most High, says,
“Would there have been more people with a vestige of good among the generations of those who came before you, who forbade corruption in the earth, other than the few among them whom We saved.” (Hud (11): 116)
In his quoting this verse as the precursor to this chapter, he shows the depth of his knowledge, cognisance and understanding of the Qur’an. This is because the strangers are those who possess the qualities described in the verse and they are the ones talked about by the Prophet (pbuh) with his words:
53. “Islam began as something strange and it will return to being something strange, so tuba to the strangers!” It was asked of him, ‘Messenger of Allah, who are they?’ He replied, “Those who correct the affairs at a time when the people become corrupt.”
54. Ahmad records on the authority of Muttalib ibn Hantab that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Tuba is for the strangers.” They asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, who are the strangers?’ He replied, “Those who increase when the people are decreasing.”
If the wording of this hadith is preserved and not mistakenly altered by the narrator from ‘those who decrease when the people are increasing,’the meaning would be: those who increase in goodness,faith and piety when the people are decreasing in them. Allah knows best.
55. Ibn Mas`ud reports that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Islam began as something strange and it will return to being strange just as it began, so tuba for the strangers!? It was asked of him, ‘Messenger of Allah, who are the strangers?’ He replied, “Those who have departed from the tribes.”
56. (Abdullah ibn Amr reports that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “Tuba for the strangers.” It was asked of him, ‘Messenger of Allah,who are the strangers?’He replied, “A small group of righteous people amongst a large number of evil people; those who disobey them are greater in number than those who obey them.”
57. Ahmad records on the authority of Abdullah ibn `Amr that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “The most beloved thing to Allah is the strangers.” It was asked, ‘Who are the strangers?’ He replied, “Those who flee in order to safeguard their religion; they will gather with Isa ibn Maryam on the Day of Judgment.”
58. In another hadith, “Islam began as something strange and shall return to being something strange just as it began,so tuba for the strangers!” It was asked, ‘Who are the strangers?’ He replied, “Those who revive my Sunnah and teach it to the people.”
59. Nafi ibn Malik reports that `Umar ibn al-Khattab entered the Mosque to find Mu’adh ibn Jabal sitting down, facing the house of the Prophet (pbuh) and crying. He said, ‘What makes you cry, Abu Abdu’l-Rahman, has a brother of yours died?’ He replied, ‘No,rather a hadith which my beloved (pbuh) narrated to me while I was in this very Mosque.’ He said, ‘What is it, Abu ‘Abdu’l Rahman?’ He replied,‘He informed me that, “Allah, Mighty and Magnificent,loves the unknown, pious and righteous people: those who are not missed when absent and who go unnoticed when present, their hearts are niches of guidance and they emerge [unscathed] from every dark, blinding tribulation.’”
These are the strangers who have been praised and who should be envied. It is because of their paucity in number that they are called strangers since most people do not possess their qualities. The Muslims are strangers amongst mankind, the believers are strangers amongst the Muslims, the People of Knowledge are strangers amongst the believers, and Ahlul-Sunnah – those who distinguish the Sunnah from innovation and call to it – are strangers.Those who call to the Sunnah, bearing with patience the harm they meet from those who oppose them, are the greatest strangers of all.This latter group are truly the people of Allah, as such their strangeness is not real; rather it is a strangeness relative to the rest of man, those about whom Allah, Mighty and Magnificent said,
“If you obeyed most of those on earth, they would misguide you from Allah’s Way.” (al-An’am (6): 116)
These people, the majority, are in reality strangers. They are isolated from Allah, His Messenger and His religion. It is this strangeness that is truly one of estrangement even if such people are well-known and famous.It is said,
A person far from home is not strange,
Strange is one whose home eschews him.
When Musa (alayhis-salam) left,fleeing from the people of Pharaoh, he stopped at Madyan in the state in which Allah described him. He was alone, fearful and hungry. He cried out,‘My Lord!I am alone, ill and a stranger!’He replied, “Musa, the person who is alone is one who does not have Me as a source of solace and comfort.The person who is ill is one who does not have Me as his doctor. The person who is strange is one who has no dealings with Me.”
Therefore strangeness is of three types:
The First:The strangeness of thePeople of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger amongst this creation. This is the strangeness that was praised by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) he informed us that the religion he came with commenced as something strange and shall return to being something strange, and that those who follow it will become strangers. This strangeness could exist in some places and not in others, in some times and not in others, amongst one people and not another. The people who possess this strangeness are truly the People of Allah for they take recourse in none save Him, follow none save His Messenger (pbuh) and call solely to that which he came with. They are the ones who parted from men (in this world) despite being in dire need of them and on the Day of Judgment, when all the people have left in pursuit of their idols, they will remain awaiting their Lord whom they used to worship. It will be asked of them, Will you not follow the others?” They will reply,’We parted from men (in the world) despite being in greater need of them than we are today, now we await our Lord who we used to worship.’
This strangeness carries with it no real loneliness or sense of estrangement, rather this person will find that he has most comfort when the people avoid him and the greatest sense of estrangement when they seek to be close to him. This is because Allah is his friend and protector as is His Messenger and the believers, even if, because of this, the majority of people end up opposing him and treating him harshly.
60. On the authority of Abu Umamah that the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) said, “The most enviable person with me is one who is light of back [having little burden of dependants], prays a great deal, who makes good his worship of his Lord, Mighty and Magnificent, who makes do with little, is unknown such that the fingers of people do not point at him, and remains patient with this until he meets Allah, Mighty and Magnificent; then when death comes to him, his inheritance is paltry and his mourners are few.”
From amongst this category of strangers are those mentioned in the hadith of Anas that the Prophet (pbuh) said,
61. “It is well possible that someone covered in dust, wearing threadbare garments, someone who is not paid any attention; it is well possible that such a person could take an oath by Allah and He fulfills it.”
62. Abu Idris al-Khawlani narrates that Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “Should I not inform you of the kings of the inhabitants of Paradise?” They replied, ‘Messenger of Allah, of course!’ He said, “They are every weak, dust-covered person, wearing threadbare garments and not paying any attention. If such a person took an oath by Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, He would fulfil it.”
al-Hasan said, cIn this world the believer is like a stranger, he does not despair when it humiliates him and neither does he covet its grandeur. The people are in one state and he is in a totally different state.’
From the qualities of these strangers is that they would stick firmly to the Sunnah even when people turn away from it and they would abandon all innovations, even if that innovation is widespread. They purify their Tawhid even if the majority of people censure them for this. They leave ascription to anyone save Allah and His Messenger, be it a Shaykh, or a Tariqah, or a School of Thought, or a group; instead they are devoted exclusively to the worship of Allah Alone and following the Sunnah of His Messenger alone.These people are truly holding onto red hot coals; most people – indeed all of them – censure them, think them to be odd, to be on innovation, and having split away from the ‘largest group.’
The meaning of his (pbuh) saying, “Those who have departed from the tribes,” is that Allah, Glorious is He, sent His Messenger at a time when the people were following many different religions.They were worshipping idols, fire, pictures and the cross; there was the Jew, the Sabian and the philosopher. When Islam first appeared, it was seen as something strange, and those who accepted Islam and answered the call of Allah and His Messenger were seen to be strange amongst their fellow tribe members and family members. Those who accepted the call to Islam departed from the tribes, they became strangers in their own tribes and families. This state continued until Islam became ascendant and people began to accept it in droves, after which this strangeness vanished. However, after this, the strangeness presented itself once again until it ended in the state in which it began. Indeed, today, true Islam has become stranger than it was in the first days, this even though its signs and features are widespread! True Islam has become very strange and those who follow it are seen to be the strangest of people!
How is it possible that one sect, few in number, not be strange amongst seventy two sects, sects that enjoy great following,worldly authority, and leadership;sects that only attained this position and followed by opposing what theMessenger came with!Indeed what the Messenger (pbuh) came to oppose was their desires, their temporal delights, their innovations which they presume to be the best of deeds, and their lusts which dictate their goals and objectives.
How is it possible that the believer, journeying to Allah upon the path of following and adherence not be a stranger amongst these people who are merely following their desires, who have succumbed to parsimony, and are amazed at their own opinion. The Prophet (pbuh) said,
63. “Command the good and prohibit the evil until you see parsimony being obeyed, desires being followed, the world being preferred, and every person being amazed at his own opinion; at the time when you see affairs that you cannot change, concern yourself with yourself and avoid the masses. Those will be the days of patience and to be patient amongst them will be like holding onto red hot coals.”
This is why he (pbuh) told us that the truthful Muslim in these times, provided he adhered firmly to his religion, would have the reward of fifty Companions.
64. Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi record on the authority of Abu Tha( labah al-Khushanl who said that he asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) concerning the verse,
“O Believers! You are only responsible for yourselves. The misguided cannot harm you as long as you are guided.” (al-Ma’idah (5): 105)
He said, He said, “Rather command the good and prohibit the evil until you see parsimony being obeyed, desires being followed, the world being preferred, and every person being amazed at his own opinion;at the time that you see affairs that you cannot change, concern yourself with yourself and avoid the masses. Those will be the days of patience and to be patient amongst them will be like holding onto red hot coals. The one who does deeds in those days will have the reward of fifty people doing the same deeds as him.” I asked, ‘Messenger of Allah, do you mean fifty of them?’ He replied, “No, fifty of you.”
This great reward is only realised because of one’s strangeness and his holding firm to the Sunnah while surrounded by the darkness of desires and the opinions of others.
So if the believer whom Allah has nourished with insight into His religion, understanding of the Sunnah of His Messenger and His Book, and shown him the reality of what people are upon of innovations, desires, misguidance, and deviating from the Straight Path: the path of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and his Companions, if this believer wishes to traverse this Path let him prepare himself for the abuse of the ignoramus and innovator, the boycott of people and their warning others from him; just as their predecessors amongst the disbelievers did with the Prophet (pbuh). Were this believer to call them to the true path and censure their way it will be as if the Day of Rising has come upon them and they will plot and plan against him to the utmost of their ability!
He will be a stranger with regards to his religion because of the corruption of their religions. He will be a stranger in his following the Sunnah because of their following innovations. He will be a stranger in his beliefs because of their false beliefs. He will be a stranger in his prayer because of their rundown prayers. He will be a stranger in the path he traverses because of their misguidance. He will be a stranger in his ascription because of their ascriptions. And he will be a stranger in the way he deals with them because they deal with people based upon their desires.
In summary, he will be a stranger in his worldly affairs and in his affairs dealing with the Hereafter. He will not find any to support him or aid him amongst the masses of the people, he will be a scholar amongst the ignorant, a follower of the Sunnah amongst innovators, a caller to Allah and His Messenger amongst callers to desires and innovations, and commanding good and prohibiting evil amongst people in whose eyes good has become bad and vice versa.
The second: The blameworthy strangeness, the strangeness of the adherents to falsehood and the strangeness of the transgressors when compared to the adherents to truth.This is true strangeness, even if its followers be many.They are people who are truly lonely and lost even though they may find many in whose company they can find comfort, they are known to the people of this earth but unknown to the inhabitants of the heaven.
The Third: The type which is shared by all, strangeness from one’s homeland, this in and of itself is neither commanded nor censured. All of mankind are strangers in this world because this world is not their abode of permanence; it is not the abode for which they were created. The Prophet (pbuh) said to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar,
65. “Ibn ‘Umar, be in this world like a stranger or somebody passing on his way.”
I have composed some lines of poetry concerning this,
To the Gardens of Eden press forward
They are your first homes, there shall you rest.
Yet we are captives of the enemy, do you not think
That we should return to our homes and hence be safe?
They think that when the stranger travels afar
And his lands disappear from sight, he is homesick.
But what strangeness is greater than ours
In which the enemies have rule over us?
How can the servant not be a stranger in this abode? He is journeying through this life to end his journey at his grave. In reality he is a traveller even though he may seem to be resident. It is said,
These days are but milestones of a journey
Inexorably leading a person to his demise
The strangest of things, were you but to realise
Is that, while the stations are crossed,
The traveller remains resident.
And Allah knows best.
By Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali & Imam Al-Ajurri
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