At-Tabaraanee and others transmitted with a chain of narration that has some speculation to it, [1] from the hadeeth of Abu Umaamah, (رضي الله عنه), that the Prophet said:
“Verily, for every matter there is a progression and a regression. And verily from the progression of this Religion is what you used to be upon from blindness and ignorance and what Allaah sent me with. And verily from the progression of this Religion is that the clan was taught (Islaam) by its family members, to the point that there was not found amongst them (the tribes) anyone except for one evildoer or two evildoers. So these two were oppressed and degraded. When they want to speak, they are restrained, subdued and persecuted. And verily from the regression of this Religion is that the tribe acts harshly against its family members, to the point that there is not seen amongst them anyone except one faqeeh (one with understanding) or two faqeehs. Thus they will both be oppressed and degraded. If they speak and command the good and forbid the evil, they are restrained, subdued and persecuted. And they will not find any supporters or helpers in that matter.”
Thus, the believer who is knowledgeable of the Sunnah and who possesses understanding of the Religion, is described in this hadeeth as being one who during the Last Days – at the point of its corruption – will be oppressed, debased and not able to find any helpers or supporters.
At-Tabaraanee also reported with a weak chain of narration on the authority of Ibn Mas’ood, (رضي الله عنه), that the Prophet, (صلى الله علیه وسلم), said:
“And verily from its signs (i.e. the Hour) is that the believer will be in the sight of his tribe, more lower (in status) than the young sheep.” [2]
And it is recorded in the Musnad of Imaam Ahmad that 'Ubaadah Ibn As-Saamat, (رضي الله عنه), said to one of his companions:
"It is imminent that should your life be prolonged for you, you will see a man who recites the Qur'aan upon the tongue of Muhammad repeating it and displaying it, allowing its halaal and forbidding its haraam. He will then be lowered in his status and his position will be neglected amongst you and considered just as the position of a dead donkey.”
And similar to this is the saying of Ibn Mas’ood, (رضي الله عنه):
“There will come upon the people a time in which the believer will become lower than the bondmaid.”
Indeed the believer will only be debased in the Last Days due to his strangeness in front of the evildoers from among the people of Doubts and Desires. Every one of them will hate him and abuse him because of his opposing of their way by following his way, and because of the seeking of his goal over their goal, and because of his evidences over what is with them.
And when Dawood At-Taa’ee died, Ibn As-Samaak said:
“Indeed Dawood looked with his heart at what was in front of him and the sight of his heart overtook the sight of his eyes. So it was as if he no longer saw what you were looking at, and as if you could not see what he was looking at. And you were amazed at him, and he was amazed at you. It became strange to you that he was alive in the middle of death."
And from among them was he whose own family and children would hate him due to their loathing of his condition. ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abd-il-‘Azeez once heard his wife say:
“May Allaah relieve us from you.”
So he said:
“Ameen.”
Our Salaf (Predecessors), during their lifetimes, would mainly describe the believer with strangeness as has preceded in their narrations.
And from the words of Ahmad Ibn ‘Aasim Al-Andaakee, who was one of the biggest scholars at the time of Sulaymaan Ad-Daaraanee, was:
“Indeed, I have reached from all the times, a time when Islaam has returned to being strange as it began. In it, the description of truth has returned to being strange as it began. If you were to turn to the scholar, you would find him being tested with the love of this worldly life and the love for honor and authority. And if you were to turn to the worshipper, you would find him ignorant in his worship, deceived and fallen victim to his enemy Iblees. He has mounted to the highest levels of worship while being ignorant of how to perform them so how can he be at that level? And the rest of the people are from among the ignorant followers, simple-minded and quick to follow a way, as if he were a wolf looking to steal a sheep, or a hungry lion, or a fox on the prowl. This is the description of the people of your time from the carriers of knowledge and the Qur’aan and the callers of wisdom.” [3]
This was the description of the people of his time. So how much has the situation increased and the crisis become greater after it. Indeed, it has reached a point that would have never been thought of nor imagined.
Footnotes
[1] Al-Haythamee (رحمه الله) said: “In its chain is ‘Alee Ibn Yazeed and he is rejected.” [Majma’-uz-Zawaa’id: 7/261]. Thus the hadeeth is da’eef (weak)
[2] The hadeeth is as Ibn Rajab stated in that it has a weak chain of narration, may Allaah have mercy on him. Thus, the hadeeth is da’eef.
[3] Hilyat-ul-Awliyaa (9/286)
