Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/384)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Then the second expedition will be dispatched, and they will ask, ‘Is there anyone among you who saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ They will answer, ‘Yes,’ and victory will be granted to them on his account. Then the third expedition will be dispatched, and it will be said, ‘See whether you can find among you anyone who saw someone who saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ They will answer, ‘Yes.’ Then there will be a fourth expedition, and it will be said, ‘Can you find among you anyone who saw someone who saw the Companions of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace?’ Such a man will be found, and victory will be granted to them on his account.”

Al-Bukhārī’s wording mentions three such occasions (1), as in the first narration. His wording, however, is: “A time will come when a group of people will go on a military campaign.” He uses the same wording for the second and third occasions, and in all three he uses (accompanied). The narrations all mention the Companions, the Successors, and their successors; these (2) are the three generations. The fourth generation is mentioned only in some of them. The mention of the third generation is established through more than one chain of transmission in reports recorded by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim (3).

For example, the two Sahīh collections record that Ibn Mas‘ūd said: The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“The best of my ummah are the generation nearest to me, then those who follow them, then those who follow them. Then people will come whose testimony precedes their oath and whose oath precedes their testimony” (4).

(1) s, b: marātib (ranks). (2) n, m: wa-hiya (and they are). (3) This hadith appeared earlier, where it begins: “A time will surely come upon people when groups of people will go on a military campaign.” (4) This hadith appeared earlier, at 2:35, where I discussed its differing versions. This version, transmitted from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd—may Allah be pleased with him—is recorded in al-Bukhārī, 5:3 (Book of the Merits of the Prophet’s Companions…, first chapter), where it begins: “The best of people are my generation, then those who follow them…” followed by the remainder of the hadith. It is also recorded in al-Bukhārī, 8:91 (Book of Softening the Hearts, chapter on what to beware of concerning worldly splendour and competition for it), and 8:134 (Book of Oaths and Vows, chapter: “If One Says, ‘I Bear Witness by Allah’…”).

ثُمَّ يُبْعَثُ الْبَعْثُ الثَّانِي، فَيَقُولُونَ: هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -؟ فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ، فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ بِهِ، ثُمَّ يُبْعَثُ الْبَعْثُ الثَّالِثُ فَيُقَالُ: انْظُرُوا هَلْ تَرَوْنَ فِيكُمْ مَنْ رَأَى مَنْ رَأَى أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَيَقُولُونَ: نَعَمْ، ثُمَّ يَكُونُ الْبَعْثُ الرَّابِعُ فَيُقَالُ: هَلْ تَرَوْنَ فِيكُمْ أَحَدًا رَأَى مَنْ رَأَى أَصْحَابَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -؟ فَيُوجَدُ الرَّجُلُ فَيُفْتَحُ لَهُمْ بِهِ» وَلَفْظُ الْبُخَارِيِّ ثَلَاثُ مَرَّاتٍ (١) كَالرِّوَايَةِ الْأُولَى؛ لَكِنَّ لَفْظَهُ: يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَغْزُو فِئَامٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ، وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ فِي الثَّانِيَةِ وَالثَّالِثَةِ، وَقَالَ فِيهَا كُلِّهَا: (صَحِبَ) ، وَاتَّفَقَتِ الرِّوَايَاتُ عَلَى ذِكْرِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِيهِمْ وَهُمْ (٢) الْقُرُونُ الثَّلَاثَةُ وَأَمَّا الْقَرْنُ الرَّابِعُ فَهُوَ فِي بَعْضِهَا؛ وَذِكْرُ الْقَرْنِ الثَّالِثِ ثَابِتٌ فِي الْمُتَّفَقِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ (٣) . كَمَا فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنِ ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: " «خَيْرُ أُمَّتِي الْقَرْنُ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ يَجِئُ قَوْمٌ تَسْبِقُ شَهَادَةُ أَحَدِهِمْ يَمِينَهُ وَيَمِينُهُ شَهَادَتَهُ» " (٤) .

(١) س، ب: مَرَاتِبَ (٢) ن، م: وَهِيَ (٣) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى وَأَوَّلُهُ هُنَاكَ: لَيَأْتِيَنَّ عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ يَغْزُو فِيهِ فِئَامٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ. (٤) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ٢/٣٥ وَتَكَلَّمْتُ هُنَاكَ عَلَى رِوَايَاتِهِ الْمُخْتَلِفَةِ. وَأَمَّا هَذِهِ الرِّوَايَةُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فَهِيَ فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٥/٣ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ. . . الْبَابُ الْأَوَّلُ) وَأَوَّلُهُ فِيهِ: " خَيْرُ النَّاسِ قَرْنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ. . . الْحَدِيثَ. وَهُوَ أَيْضًا فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٨/٩١ (كِتَابُ الرِّقَاقِ، بَابُ مَا يُحْذَرُ مِنْ زَهْرَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالتَّنَافُسِ فِيهَا) ٨/١٣٤ (كِتَابُ الْأَيْمَانِ وَالنُّذُورِ، بَابُ إِذَا قَالَ أَشْهَدُ بِاللَّهِ. .)