Series of Answers by the Eminent Scholar Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir,
to the Questions of his Facebook Page Followers "Fiqhi"
To: Al-Riyahi Abwa Fatima
Question:
My brother in Allah, the Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
What is the authenticity of this Hadith, and if it is Sahih, we ask you for an explanation. May Allah reward you with all goodness.
The Hadith of Az-Zubayr ibn 'Adi (may Allah have mercy on him) who said: "We came to Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) and complained to him about what we were facing from Al-Hajjaj. He said: 'Be patient, for no time shall come upon you but the one after it is worse than it, until you meet your Lord; I heard this from your Prophet ﷺ.'" Narrated by Bukhari.
Answer:
At the outset, I would like to remind you of two principles in Usul (principles of jurisprudence) to clarify the answer:
- If there is a perceived contradiction in the evidences, an attempt is made to reconcile the evidences (al-jam'), because acting upon both evidences is better than disregarding one of them.
- If reconciliation is impossible, then preference (al-tarjih) is made between the evidences according to the rules of preference.
Now, we answer the question:
Bukhari narrated from Az-Zubayr ibn 'Adi, who said: "We came to Anas bin Malik and complained to him about what we were facing from Al-Hajjaj. He said:
اصْبِرُوا، فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَأْتِي عَلَيْكُمْ زَمَانٌ إِلَّا الَّذِي بَعْدَهُ شَرٌّ مِنْهُ، حَتَّى تَلْقَوْا رَبَّكُمْ
'Be patient, for no time shall come upon you but the one after it is worse than it, until you meet your Lord.' I heard this from your Prophet ﷺ." This Hadith suggests that every time is worse than the one before it.
This Hadith contains a perceived contradiction with other Hadiths:
A- There is a perceived contradiction with the Hadith regarding the return of the Khilafah, which is better than the Mulk Jabri (oppressive rule) that preceded it:
Ahmad narrated in his Musnad from Hudhayfah bin al-Yaman, who said: (The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكاً جَبْرِيَّةً فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ
"...then there will be an oppressive rule (mulkan jabriyyan), and it will remain as long as Allah wills it to remain. Then He will lift it when He wills to lift it. Then there will be Khilafah upon the method of Prophethood." Then he remained silent.)
B- And with the Hadith of the appearance of the Mahdi (from the household of the Prophet ﷺ) who will fill the earth with justice after the oppression that preceded it:
At-Tabarani narrated in Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir from Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
لا تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ حَتَّى يَمْلِكَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي، يُوَاطِئُ اسْمُهُ اسْمِي، يَمْلأُ الأَرْضَ عَدْلاً وَقِسْطاً كَمَا مُلِئَتْ ظُلْماً وَجَوْراً
"The Hour will not be established until a man from my household rules; his name matches my name. He will fill the earth with justice and equity as it was filled with injustice and oppression."
C- Likewise, the perceived contradiction with the Hadith of the descent of Jesus (peace be upon him) after the evil of the Dajjal that preceded him:
At-Tabarani narrated in Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir from Samurah bin Jundub (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet ﷺ said:
إِنَّ الْمَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالَ يَلْبَثُ فِي الأَرْضِ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ يَجيءُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ صَلَّى اللُّه عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ، مُصَدِّقاً بِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ وَعَلَى مِلَّتِهِ، ثُمَّ يَقْتُلُ الْمَسِيحَ الدَّجَّالَ
"The Dajjal will remain on earth as long as Allah wills, then Jesus son of Mary (pbuh) will come from the east, confirming Muhammad ﷺ and following his millah (way), then he will kill the Dajjal."
The Hadith stating that every time is worse than the one before it seems to contradict these Hadiths which indicate that their era is better than the one before it, not worse... As I mentioned at the beginning, if reconciliation is possible, it is preferable; otherwise, preference is sought. By contemplating these Hadiths, it becomes clear that they can be reconciled by understanding the Hadith of Bukhari ("every time is worse than the one before it") not as a general rule, but as being specified for cases other than those mentioned above—meaning before the return of the second Rightly Guided Khilafah upon the method of Prophethood... It is as if this agrees with the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ narrated by Bukhari from the Prophet ﷺ, who said:
خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَجِيءُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ قَوْمٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَتُهُمْ أَيْمَانَهُمْ وَأَيْمَانُهُمْ شَهَادَتَهُمْ
"The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then there will come after them people whose testimony precedes their oath and whose oath precedes their testimony." Muslim also narrated it with the wording: "The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them—I do not know if he said it a third or fourth time—then there will come after them a generation whose testimony precedes their oath and whose oath precedes their testimony." Ibn Abi Shaybah also narrated in his Musannaf from Abu Burdah from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
وَأَصْحَابِي أَمَنَةٌ لِأُمَّتِي فَإِذَا ذَهَبَ أَصْحَابِي أَتَى أُمَّتِي مَا يُوعَدُونَ
"My companions are a source of security for my Ummah. When my companions pass away, there will come to my Ummah that which they were promised." Thus, the closer the time was to the Messenger of Allah and his companions, the more goodness there was and the further the evil, until the Rightly Guided Khilafah returns anew, restoring goodness in place of the evil that preceded it during the Mulk Jabri (oppressive rule).
Naturally, what is meant by "every time" refers to the prevailing condition and not the appearance of individuals who differ from the majority. For example, the Caliph Umar bin Abdul Aziz was an exception in his justice compared to other Umayyad Caliphs, as were some Caliphs in the Abbasid and Ottoman eras until the Khilafah ended in 1342 AH - 1924 CE, followed by the great evil of oppressive rule (al-mulk al-jabri). After this, the Khilafah upon the method of Prophethood will return once more, and with it, goodness will shine.
وَيَوْمَئِذٍ يَفْرَحُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ * بِنَصْرِ اللَّهِ يَنْصُرُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ
"And on that day the believers will rejoice in the victory of Allah. He gives victory to whom He wills, and He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful." (Surah Ar-Rum [30]: 4-5)
This is what I prefer in this matter, and Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.
Your brother, Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
13 Rabi’ al-Akhir 1443 AH Corresponding to 18/11/2021 CE
Link to the answer from the Ameer's (may Allah protect him) Facebook page
Link to the answer from the Ameer's (may Allah protect him) Website