Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah, Amir of Hizb ut Tahrir To the questions of the followers of his Facebook page "Fiqhi"
To Muhammad Shatat Abu Sabah
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
I hope my message reaches you while you are in the best of health and well-being.
I would like you to explain the following Hadiths to me because they seem contradictory on the surface, and various groups of people use them to refute one another without understanding their intended meaning.
The Hadith used by the first group:
An-Nu'man bin Bashir said: We were sitting in the Mosque with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and Bashir was a man who withheld his speech. Then Abu Tha'labah Al-Khushani came and said: "O Bashir bin Sa'd, do you remember the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding the rulers?" Hudhayfah then said: "I remember his sermon." So Abu Tha'labah sat down, and Hudhayfah said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
تَكُونُ النُّبُوَّةُ فِيكُمْ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكاً عَاضّاً فَيَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكاً جَبْرِيَّةً فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ
"Prophethood will be among you for as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a Khilafah on the method of Prophethood, and it will be as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a biting kingship (mulkan 'adhan), and it will be as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a compulsive kingship (mulkan jabriyah), and it will be as long as Allah wills it to be, then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be a Khilafah on the method of Prophethood." Then he remained silent. (Musnad Ahmad)
And the Hadith used by the other group:
Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman said:
كَانَ النَّاسُ يَسْأَلُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ الْخَيْرِ وَأَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ الشَّرِّ وَعَرَفْتُ أَنَّ الْخَيْرَ لَنْ يَسْبِقَنِي قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَبَعْدَ هَذَا الْخَيْرِ شَرٌّ قَالَ يَا حُذَيْفَةُ تَعَلَّمْ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ وَاتَّبِعْ مَا فِيهِ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَبَعْدَ هَذَا الشَّرِّ خَيْرٌ قَالَ هُدْنَةٌ عَلَى دَخَنٍ وَجَمَاعَةٌ عَلَى أَقْذَاءٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْهُدْنَةُ عَلَى دَخَنٍ مَا هِيَ قَالَ لَا تَرْجِعُ قُلُوبُ أَقْوَامٍ عَلَى الَّذِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَبَعْدَ هَذَا الْخَيْرِ شَرٌّ قَالَ فِتْنَةٌ عَمْيَاءُ صَمَّاءُ عَلَيْهَا دُعَاةٌ عَلَى أَبْوَابِ النَّارِ وَأَنْتَ أَنْ تَمُوتَ يَا حُذَيْفَةُ وَأَنْتَ عَاضٌّ عَلَى جِذْلٍ خَيْرٌ لَكَ مِنْ أَنْ تَتَّبِعَ أَحَداً مِنْهُمْ
"People used to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the good, and I used to ask him about the evil, and I knew that the good would not escape me. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, is there evil after this good?' He said: 'O Hudhayfah, learn the Book of Allah and follow what is in it' (three times). I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, is there good after this evil?' He said: 'A truce upon smoke (dakhan) and a community upon impurities.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is a truce upon smoke?' He said: 'The hearts of people will not return to the state they were once in.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, is there evil after this good?' He said: 'A blind and deaf trial (fitna), upon which are callers at the gates of Hell; and for you to die, O Hudhayfah, while biting onto a tree stump is better for you than following any of them.'" (Musnad Ahmad)
The first group interpreted that good is coming to the Ummah, by Allah's permission, and that a Khilafah on the method of Prophethood is coming and will rule by the Sharia of Allah, which is the essence of good.
Meanwhile, the second group argues with their Hadith that the time of the Ummah's good has passed and that we are in nothing but the period of trials that the Messenger ﷺ informed us about, and that a Muslim must withdraw from people to flee with his religion...
I hope for clarification. Please accept my respect and appreciation.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
The first Hadith was narrated by Ahmad and Al-Tayalisi. As for the second Hadith mentioned in the question, it was also narrated by Ahmad, but Al-Bukhari narrated it with this wording:
...حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو إِدْرِيسَ الْخَوْلَانِيُّ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ حُذَيْفَةَ بْنَ الْيَمَانِ يَقُولُ كاَنَ النَّاسُ يَسْأَلُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ الْخَيْرِ وَكُنْتُ أَسْأَلُهُ عَنْ الشَّرِّ مَخَافَةَ أَنْ يُدْرِكَنِي، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، إِنَّا كُنَّا فِي جَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَشَرٍّ فَجَاءَنَا اللَّهُ بِهَذَا الْخَيْرِ، فَهَلْ بَعْدَ هَذَا الْخَيْرِ مِنْ شَرٍّ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ. قُلْتُ: وَهَلْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ الشَّرِّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، وَفِيهِ دَخَنٌ. قُلْتُ: وَمَا دَخَنُهُ؟ قَالَ: قَوْمٌ يَهْدُونَ بِغَيْرِ هَدْيِي تَعْرِفُ مِنْهُمْ وَتُنْكِرُ. قُلْتُ: فَهَلْ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ الْخَيْرِ مِنْ شَرٍّ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، دُعَاةٌ إِلَى أَبْوَابِ جَهَنَّمَ مَنْ أَجَابَهُمْ إِلَيْهَا قَذَفُوهُ فِيهَا. قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، صِفْهُمْ لَنَا. فَقَالَ: هُمْ مِنْ جِلْدَتِنَا وَيَتَكَلَّمُونَ بِأَلْسِنَتِنَا. قُلْتُ: فَمَا تَأْمُرُنِي إِنْ أَدْرَكَنِي ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: تَلْزَمُ جَمَاعَةَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَإِمَامَهُمْ. قُلْتُ: فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ جَمَاعَةٌ وَلَا إِمَامٌ؟ قَالَ: فَاعْتَزِلْ تِلْكَ الْفِرَقَ كُلَّهَا وَلَوْ أَنْ تَعَضَّ بِأَصْلِ شَجَرَةٍ حَتَّى يُدْرِكَكَ الْمَوْتُ وَأَنْتَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ
"...Abu Idris Al-Khawlani narrated to me that he heard Hudhayfah bin Al-Yaman saying: People used to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about the good, and I used to ask him about the evil for fear that it would overtake me. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, we were in ignorance (Jahiliyyah) and evil, then Allah brought us this good. Is there any evil after this good?' He said: 'Yes.' I said: 'And is there any good after that evil?' He said: 'Yes, but it will be tainted with smoke (dakhan).' I said: 'What is its smoke?' He said: 'People who will guide by other than my guidance; you will recognize some of what they do and disapprove of some.' I said: 'Is there any evil after that good?' He said: 'Yes, callers at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to them, they throw him into it.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, describe them to us.' He said: 'They are of our own skin and speak our language.' I said: 'What do you command me to do if that overtakes me?' He said: 'Stick to the community (Jama'ah) of Muslims and their Imam.' I said: 'What if they have no community and no Imam?' He said: 'Then withdraw from all those sects, even if you have to bite onto the root of a tree until death overtakes you while you are in that state.'" (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Dear brother, it seems that you are confused, thinking that the end of the first Hadith: "Then there will be a Khilafah on the method of Prophethood" coincides with the end of the second Hadith: "A blind and deaf trial, upon which are callers at the gates of Hell." Therefore, you wondered about the condition of the Ummah: in the first Hadith, it is a Khilafah on the method of Prophethood, while in the second Hadith, it is a "blind and deaf trial, upon which are callers at the gates of Hell"?!
The matter is not like that, brother. The end of the first Hadith is not the end of the second Hadith. Hudhayfah did not ask what follows after the end of the second Hadith, i.e., "callers at the gates of Hell." Rather, he was concerned with what he should do if he lived through that situation. It weighed heavily upon him that the condition of Muslims would reach this state (callers at the gates of Hell), so it became important for him to ask the Messenger ﷺ what to do if he lived through it, and he did not ask what would come after it...
As for this situation in the second Hadith, it is the same situation as "compulsive kingship" in the first Hadith. This is the state that occurs after the disappearance of the Khilafah, followed by compulsive kingship which exists against the will of the people, by force, without the consent of the Muslims and without ruling by Islam. This is the condition the Muslims have been in since the Khilafah was abolished in 1924 CE until today... and it is clear that there are callers at the gates of Hell within it, as mentioned in Bukhari: "callers at the gates of Hell; whoever responds to them, they throw him into it..." Anyone who contemplates these hundred years after the abolition of the Khilafah in 1924 finds this description fulfilled!
As for what indicates that this state in the first Hadith (compulsive kingship) is the same state in the second Hadith (callers at the gates of Hell), it is the contemplation of the state preceding compulsive kingship in the first Hadith, and the state preceding the blind and deaf trial in the second Hadith... The first Hadith mentioned before compulsive kingship, the "biting kingship" (mulkan 'adhan), i.e., the sequential Khilafah within the house of the Khalifah which lasted for about 1300 years during the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Ottoman eras. We have stated in our books that misapplications occurred during this time, especially regarding the Bay'ah (pledge of allegiance). The Bay'ah was given to someone from the house of the previous Khalifah, and the Muslims became accustomed to this. Instead of the Bay'ah being for whoever the Muslims generally chose, it became confined to the house of the Khalifah. That is, that stage was a Khilafah, but in it, the Khalifah "bit with his molars" to ensure the Khilafah did not leave his house... This stage is the one mentioned in the second Hadith as "a truce upon smoke" (hudnatun 'ala dakhan), or as in the narration of Al-Bukhari: "good but tainted with smoke... people who will guide by other than my guidance; you will recognize some of what they do and disapprove of some."
After this stage, the Messenger ﷺ informs us in the first Hadith that the Khilafah on the method of Prophethood will come after the compulsive kingship... Whereas in the second Hadith, Hudhayfah (ra) did not ask about what follows after the blind and deaf trial and the callers at the gates of Hell. He did not ask what comes after this evil; rather, the matter weighed heavily on him, and he was occupied with asking what he should do if he lived through that state...
In conclusion, the reconciliation between the two Hadiths is as follows:
1- The first Hadith mentioned compulsive kingship without detailing its evils, and the Prophet ﷺ informed us that the Khilafah on the method of Prophethood will return after this compulsive kingship...
As for the second Hadith, Hudhayfah did not ask what would be after that blind and deaf trial, i.e., he did not ask what follows this stage—which is the same stage of compulsive kingship mentioned in the first Hadith. Instead, he asked what he should do himself if he lived through it...
Thus, the endings of the two Hadiths are not the same but different: the first ended with the Khilafah on the method of Prophethood after the compulsive kingship, while the second stopped at the stage of callers at the gates of Hell, i.e., compulsive kingship, and Hudhayfah did not ask about what follows it.
2- One issue remains, which is what was mentioned at the end of the question regarding the second Hadith: "and for you to die, O Hudhayfah, while biting onto a tree stump is better for you than following any of them." And in the narration of Al-Bukhari: "I said: 'What do you command me to do if that overtakes me?' He said: 'Stick to the community of Muslims and their Imam.' I said: 'What if they have no community and no Imam?' He said: 'Then withdraw from all those sects, even if you have to bite onto the root of a tree until death overtakes you while you are in that state.'"
This, naturally, applies to someone for whom the truth has not become clear to call to it, and who sees all these callers at the gates of Hell; he must withdraw from all of them... However, if the truth becomes clear to him and he sees people calling to the truth, then he should walk with them and not remain in isolation. Rather, he only withdraws from all the callers to the Fire...
Accordingly, the two Hadiths can be reconciled by understanding them in the aforementioned manner. And Allah is the All-Knowing, Most Wise.
Your brother, Ata bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
14 Rajab 1442 AH 26/02/2021 CE
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