Best of Mankind (Ahadith 2317 – 2318)

Bismillah.

Hadith no. 2316 (below) is a repeat. Read it here.

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 818 :
Narrated by An-Nu’man bin Bashir (radiallaahu `anhu)
My mother asked my father to present me a gift from his property; and he gave it to me after some hesitation. My mother said that she would not be satisfied unless the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) was made a witness to it. I being a young boy, my father held me by the hand and took me to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam). He said to the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam), “His mother, bint Rawaha, requested me to give this boy a gift.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Do you have other sons besides him?” He said, “Yes.” The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “Do not make me a witness for injustice.” Narrated Ash-Shabi that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “I will not become a witness for injustice.”

Today’s Ahadith:

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 819 :
Narrated by Zahdam bin Mudrab
I heard Imran bin Husain (radiallaahu `anhu) saying, “The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, ‘The best people are those living in my generation, then those coming after them, and then those coming after (the second generation).” Imran said “I do not know whether the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) mentioned two or three generations after your present generation. The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) added, ‘There will be some people after you, who will be dishonest and will not be trustworthy and will give witness (evidences) without being asked to give witness, and will vow but will not fulfill their vows, and fatness will appear among them.”

Volume 3, Book 48, Number 820 :
Narrated by Abdullah (radiallaahu `anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wasallam) said, “The people of my generation are the best, then those who follow them, and then whose who follow the latter. After that there will come some people whose witness will go ahead of their oaths, and their oaths will go ahead of their witness.” Ibrahim (a sub-narrator) said, “We used to be beaten for taking oaths by saying, ‘I bear witness by the Name of Allah or by the Covenant of Allah.”

Allah has extolled the virtues of the Companions of the Prophet (saw) many places in the Qur’an. A Companion is defined as one who met the Prophet (saw) in a state of belief and who died in that state. Allah said (after mentioning some of the hypocrites who stayed behind from Jihad):

{Rather, the Prophet and those who believe with him fought with their property and their lives for these are all good things, they are the successful ones and Allah has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow therein forever and that is the great success.} At-Tauba: 88-89

Allah’s praise of the Companions also extends to all those who follow their way. Allah said:

{The forerunners those who came first among the Migrators and the Helpers and those who followed them with the best. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him and Allah has prepared for them gardens beneath which rivers flow therein forever and that is the great success.} At-Tauba: 100

The best generations of all time are: the generation of the Prophet (saw) i.e., the Companions, those who followed them (at-taabi’een) and the ones who followed those (atbaa’ at-taabi’een). They are our best example. When we doubt whether a certain practice or belief is a prohibited bid’a or a valid interpretation and a good practice in the din, we simply have to look at these generations. If it is in the area of worship and they did not practice it or anything similar to it, or they openly condemned it then we know with certainty that it is not part if Islam and is the bid’a which Allah and His Prophet (saw) have absolutely forbidden.

The word for “generation” is qarn. Nowadays, this word is used to mean “century”. There are three interpretations of the word in this hadith:

1. One hundred years. There are several hadith narrated in which the Prophet (saw) said that someone will reach “qarn” and then other reports state that that person lived to 100 years. There are differences as to this last point, however.

2. The people of a particular time who were together in a certain affair – such as under a particular prophet or leader.

3. That the “qarn” of the Prophet (saw) is the Companions, the next one is the Followers (taabi’een) and the third one is their Followers.

Notice that the last two are pretty similar. The third one is the best in terms of the meaning of this hadith. So the generation of the Companions lasted until the last of them passed away and likewise the two generations after them.

The scholars have agreed that the last of the those who followed those who followed lived to around 220 years. After that time, all sorts of innovations appeared and many of the deviant sects began. The Mu’tazilah spoke out loudly and widely and the philosophers raised their heads. The people of knowledge were tested by being forced to say that the Qur’an was created. In short, things changed very drastically and things have remained deficient ever since.

The only protection for this Ummah is to stick to the way of the Companions and the first generations.

Abi Burda reports from his father: “We prayed Maghrib with Allah’s Messenger (saw) then we said: Why not sit until we pray Isha with him? And so we sat and the Prophet (saw) came out to us and said: “Are you still here?” We said: “O Allah’s Messenger we prayed Maghrig with you and we decided to sit here until we pray Isha with you.” He said: “You have done well.” Then, he raised his head toward the heavens – and he used to do that frequently – and said: “The stars are the protection for the sky – when the stars have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to the sky. I am the protection for my Companions – when I have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to my companions. My Companions are the protection for this Ummah – when they have gone, that which has been forewarned will come to this Ummah.” (Muslim)

Taken mostly from: http://www.java-man.com/pages/BestGenerations/BestGenerations.html

Read more on the virtues of Sahaba here.

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