Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (17/272)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

The Lord, exalted is He, will speak with Noah (peace be upon him) and ask him whether he delivered the message, just as Allah, Most High, has said:
“We shall assuredly question those to whom the messengers were sent, and We shall assuredly question the messengers.” ⦗Al-Aʿrāf 7:6⦘.

Imam Aḥmad related: Wakiʿ narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Abū Saʿīd, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“On the Day of Resurrection Noah will be summoned. He will be asked, ‘Did you convey the message?’ He will answer, ‘Yes.’ Then his people will be called and asked, ‘Did he convey it to you?’ They will say, ‘No warner ever came to us; no one at all reached us.’ He will be told, ‘Who will testify on your behalf?’ Noah will reply, ‘Muḥammad and his community.’ Concerning this Allah, Most High, says: ‘And thus We have made you a middle nation so that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger may be a witness over you’ ⦗Al-Baqarah 2:143⦘.”
He (the Prophet) added, “ al-wasat (the middle) means the just, the best.”
He continued, “They—that is, Muḥammad’s community—will be called, and they will testify that he did indeed convey the message.” The Prophet then said, “And I shall bear witness against you.” Al-Bukhārī, al-Tirmidhī, and al-Nasā’ī have transmitted this through several chains from al-Aʿmash; al-Tirmidhī graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ. (1)

Imam Aḥmad also reported it in wording that is more comprehensive. He said: Abū Muʿāwiyah narrated to us, from al-Aʿmash, from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Abū Saʿīd, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“A prophet will arrive on the Day of Resurrection accompanied by a single follower; another prophet will come with two men; others with even larger groups. Then the prophet’s people will be summoned and asked, ‘Did this man convey the message to you?’ They will reply, ‘No.’ He will then be asked, ‘Did you convey the message to your people?’ He will say, ‘Yes.’ He will be told, ‘Who will testify for you?’ He will answer, ‘Muḥammad and his community.’ Muḥammad and his community will be called and asked, ‘Did this prophet convey the message to his people?’ They will answer, ‘Yes.’ They will be asked, ‘How do you know?’ They will reply, ‘Our Prophet came to us and informed us that the messengers had indeed conveyed (their messages).’ ”
He (the Prophet) said, “That is Allah’s word, ‘And thus We have made you a middle nation so that you may be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger may be a witness over you’ ⦗Al-Baqarah 2:143⦘,” meaning: just and upright. Ibn Mājah narrated it likewise from Abū Kurayb and Aḥmad ibn Sinān, both of them from Abū Muʿāwiyah. (2)

I say: The purport of these reports is that on the Day of Resurrection this community will be considered upright and trustworthy vis-à-vis all the other nations and prophets; therefore the prophets will call upon them to testify against their peoples. Had the former nations not recognized the distinction of this community, their testimony could not have been binding upon them.

In the ḥadīth of Bahz ibn Ḥakīm, from his father, from his grandfather Muʿāwiyah ibn Ḥayda, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“You will complete seventy nations, and you are the best of them and the most honored in the sight of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).” (3)

(1) Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad (3/32), by al-Bukhari (4487), by al-Tirmidhi (2961), and by al-Nasa’i in al-Kubra (11007). (2) Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad (3/58) and by Ibn Majah (4284); it is an authentic hadith. (3) Reported by Ahmad in al-Musnad (5/3), and its isnad is hasan (sound).

كلام الرَّبِّ تعالى مع نوح (عليه السلام) وسؤاله إياه عن البلاغ كما قال اللَّه تعالى: ﴿فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ (٦) ﴾ [الأعراف: ٦] . وقال الإمامُ أحمد: حدّثنا وكيع، عن الأعمش، عن أبي صالح، عن أبي سعيد، قال: قال رسول اللَّه ﷺ : "يُدْعَى نوح يومَ القيامة، فيُقال له: هل بَلَّغْتَ؟ فيقول: نعم، فيُدْعى قَومُه، فيُقال: هل بَلَّغَكُمْ؟ فيقولون: ما أتانا مِنْ نذير، أو ما أتانا من أحدٍ، قال: فيُقال لنوح: منْ يشْهدُ لَكَ؟ فيقول: محمد، وأُمَّتُه، وذلك قوله تعالى: ﴿وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا﴾ [البقرة: ١٤٣] " قال: "والوَسَطُ: العَدل الخيار" ، قال: "فيُدْعَوْن، فيشْهدُون له بالبلاغ" قال: "ثم أشْهدُ عليكم" . وهكذا رواه البخاري، والترمذيّ، والنسائيّ، من طرق عن الأعمش، به، وقال الترمذيّ: حسن صحيح (١) . وقد رواه الإمام أحمد، بلفظ أعمَّ من هذا، فقال: حدّثنا أبو معاوية، حدّثنا الأعمش، عن أبي صالح، عن أبي سعيد، قال: قال رسولُ اللَّه ﷺ : "يَجيءُ النبيُّ يوم القيامة ومعه الرجل، والنبيُّ ومعه الرجلان، وأكثرُ من ذلك، فيدعى قومُه، فيقول لهم: هل بَلّغكم هذا؟ فيقولون: [لا] ، فيُقال له: هل بَلّغْتَ قَوْمَك؟ فيقول: نعم، فيُقال له: منْ يَشْهدُ لك؟ فيقول: محمد، وأمّته، فيُدْعى محمد، وأمته، فيُقال لهم: هل بَلّغ هذا قَوْمَه؟ فيقولون: نعم، فيُقال: وما عِلْمُكُم؟ فيقولون: جاءنا نَبيُّنا، وأخبرنا: أنّ الرُّسُل قد بَلَّغُوا" قال: "فذلك قوله ﴿وَكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْنَاكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ﴾ " قال: "يقول: عَدْلًا ﴿لِتَكُونُوا شُهَدَاءَ عَلَى النَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ الرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا﴾ [البقرة: ١٤٣] " وهكذا رواه ابن ماجه عن أبي كُرَيْب، وأحمد بن سِنَان، كلاهما عن أبي معاوية (٢) . قلت: ومضمون هذا أنّ هذه الأمّة يوم القيامة تكون عدولًا عند سائر الأمم والأنبياء، ولهذا يَسْتَشهدُ بهم سائر الأنبياء على أُمَمِهِم، ولولا اعترافُ أممهم بشرف هذه الأمة لما حصل إلزامُهم بشهادتهم. وفي حديث بَهْز بن حَكِيم، عن أبيه، عن جَدّه معاوية بن حَيْدَةَ، أنّ رسول اللَّه ﷺ قال: "أنتم تُوَفُّونَ سبْعين أمَّةً أنتم خَيْرُها، وأكرمُها على اللَّه (سبحانه وتعالى) " (٣) .

(١) رواه أحمد في المسند (٣/ ٣٢) والبخاري (٤٤٨٧) والترمذي (٢٩٦١) والنسائي في "الكبرى" (١١٠٠٧). (٢) رواه أحمد في المسند (٣/ ٥٨) وابن ماجه رقم (٤٢٨٤) وهو حديث صحيح. (٣) رواه أحمد في المسند (٥/ ٣) وإسناده حسن.