They altered their religion, distorted it, and re-interpreted it until it came to look almost nothing like what had originally been prescribed for them. After all of that, it was abrogated, and clinging to what has been abrogated is forbidden; Allah will accept nothing of it—great or small—and it is no different from something that was never legislated at all. Allah guides whom He wills to a straight path.

Another ḥadīth:
Al-Bukhārī relates: Qutaybah narrated to us; al-Layth narrated to us, from Nāfiʿ, from Ibn ʿUmar, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“Your allotted span, compared with that of the nations who have passed, is only like the time between the mid-afternoon prayer and sunset.

The likeness of you and the Jews and the Christians is that of a man who hired workers and said, ‘Who will work for me until noon for one qīrāṭ each?’ The Jews worked until noon for one qīrāṭ each.

He then said, ‘Who will work for me from noon until the mid-afternoon prayer for one qīrāṭ each?’ The Christians worked from noon until the mid-afternoon prayer for one qīrāṭ each.

He then said, ‘Who will work for me from the mid-afternoon prayer until sunset for two qīrāṭs each?’ You are the ones who work from the mid-afternoon prayer until sunset for two qīrāṭs each. Truly, yours is a double reward.’

The Jews and the Christians became angry and said, ‘We have done more work yet receive less pay!’

Allah said, ‘Have I withheld any part of your due?’

They replied, ‘No.’

He said, ‘That is My bounty; I bestow it upon whom I will.’ ”

This ḥadīth is proof that the lifespan of this ummah is short in comparison with the lifespans of the communities before it, for he said, “Your allotted span, compared with that of the nations before you, is only like the time between the mid-afternoon prayer and sunset.” The past is known to none but Allah, just as the future is known only to Him; yet in relation to what has preceded, our span is brief. No one knows how much remains except Allah—exalted is He—as He says:
“None but He shall disclose it at its time” (al-Aʿrāf 7:187),
and:
“They ask you about the Hour—when will it strike? What concern is it of yours to mention it? Its final outcome rests with your Lord” (al-Nāziʿāt 79:42–44).

As for what some people cite—the popular report among the masses that the Prophet ﷺ "will not remain beneath the earth"—it has no foundation in the ḥadīth collections. A separate narration states that “this world is but one Friday among the Fridays of the Hereafter,” yet its authenticity is questionable.

The point of the parable of the laborers is the disparity in their wages: that disparity is not tied to the mere quantity or duration of the work, but to other considerations recognized by Allah Most High. How often a small deed surpasses what a multitude of deeds cannot achieve—take Laylat al-Qadr, for instance, when a single night’s worship