“Indeed, Allah is Gentle: He loves gentleness, is pleased with it, and grants through it what He does not grant through harshness. So, when you ride these speechless beasts, let them rest in their proper places; and if the land is barren...” The hadith.
Al-Tabarani recorded it, and its narrators are narrators of the authentic collections. Another supporting report is from al-Hasan, from Jabir, attributed to the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—with similar wording, but with the addition: “If the ghouls appear to you, then call the adhan.” Its chain is disconnected; therefore, since it has no reliable supporting report, I included it in the other book (1140).
- “People will leave Medina while it is in its best state; none will come to it except the creatures that seek food—meaning beasts of prey and birds. The last people to be gathered will be two shepherds from Muzaynah, heading towards Medina and calling out to their sheep. They will find it deserted, and when they reach Thaniyyat al-Wadaʿ, they will fall upon their faces.”
It was recorded by al-Bukhari (4/72, Fath), Muslim (4/123), and Ahmad (2/234), through various routes from al-Zuhri, who said: Saʿid ibn al-Musayyib informed me that Abu Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—said: I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say it. Then he mentioned it.
Al-Hakim recorded its second half (4/565) and claimed that it met the criteria of the two Shaykhs; al-Dhahabi agreed with him. Both were mistaken.
- “One of the last sayings that people have retained from the teachings of the earlier prophethood is: ‘If you feel no shame, then do as you wish.’”
Ibn ʿAsakir recorded it in Tarikh Dimashq from the hadith of Abu Masʿud al-Badri. He said: