Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (20/297)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

—peace and blessings be upon him—in which he said:

“The signs of a hypocrite are three: when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he breaks his promise; and when he is entrusted with something, he betrays that trust.” In one version recorded by Muslim: “Even if he fasts, prays, and claims to be a Muslim.”

Thus, he, peace and blessings be upon him, condemned them for the traits of hypocrisy that would become widespread among them. He explained that they would rush to lie, to the point that a man would give false testimony before being asked to do so. Such a person is worse than one who does not lie until he is asked to lie.

As for reports mentioning the fourth generation, an example is the hadith in the two Sahīh collections, narrated by Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said:

“A time will come when groups of people will go into battle and be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them.

“Then groups of people will go into battle and be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them.

“Then groups of people will go into battle and be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw the companions of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them.

“Then groups of people will go into battle, and it will be asked, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw the companions of the companions of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?’ They will say, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them.”

Al-Bukhārī’s wording is: “Then a time will come when groups of people will go into battle.” Accordingly, he, peace and blessings be upon him, used this wording in the second and third instances. In all of them, he said “had accompanied,” not “had seen.”

صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: {آيَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَاثٌ: إذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ وَإِذَا اُؤْتُمِنَ خَانَ وَفِي لَفْظٍ لِمُسْلِمِ: وَإِنْ صَامَ وَصَلَّى وَزَعَمَ أَنَّهُ مُسْلِمٌ} فَذَمَّهُمْ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى مَا يَفْشُو فِيهِمْ مِنْ خِصَالِ النِّفَاقِ وَبَيَّنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُسَارِعُونَ إلَى الْكَذِبِ حَتَّى يَشْهَدَ الرَّجُلُ بِالْكَذِبِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُطْلَبَ مِنْهُ ذَلِكَ؛ فَإِنَّهُ شَرٌّ مِمَّنْ لَا يَكْذِبُ حَتَّى يُسْأَلَ أَنْ يَكْذِبَ. وَأَمَّا مَا فِيهِ ذِكْرُ الْقَرْنِ الرَّابِعِ فَمِثْلُ مَا فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الخدري عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: {يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى أَصْحَابَ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ ثُمَّ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ فَيُقَالُ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى أَصْحَابَ أَصْحَابِ أَصْحَابِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ. فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ وَلَفْظُ الْبُخَارِيِّ: ثُمَّ يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنْ النَّاسِ} وَلِذَلِكَ: قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ وَالثَّالِثَةِ وَقَالَ فِيهَا كُلِّهَا: صَحِبَ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ رَأَى.