قال إمام البربهاري رحمه الله :
واعلم رحمك الله أن العلم ليس بكثرة الرواية والكتب
وإنما العالم من اتبع العلم والسنن، وإن كان قليل العلم والكتب
ومن خالف الكتاب والسنة فهو صاحب بدعة
وإن كان كثير العلم والكتب
[شرح السنة ج٢/ ص٨٦٥] 📚
[Caliph al-Mu’tasim’s repentance]
In his riwayah in Kitab al-Mihnah, Hanbal bin Ishaq reports that al-Mu’tasim (Abu Ishaq) was overtaken by regret and remorse over the mihnah, and that he ordered his governor, Ishaq bin Ibrahim, never to let news of Imam Ahmad be cut off from him so the governor’s messenger came to the house every day to ask after him, until he recovered.
Later, a man came to Imam Ahmad asking to be absolved merely for having been present at the flogging, though he had neither aided in it nor spoken a word. Ahmad first told him to renew his repentance to Allah; when he did, Ahmad absolved him and with him everyone else involved, al-Mu’tasim included except the people of innovation.
Ibn Abī Ḥātim said: My father narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Muṣʿab narrated to us; Baqiyyah narrated to us; from Abū Bakr ibn Abī Maryam; from ʿAṭiyyah ibn Qays, concerning the statement of Allah Most High, “And for the one who fears standing before his Lord are two gardens” that it was revealed regarding the man who said, “Burn me in the fire.” He said: He repented for a day and a night after uttering this statement, whereupon Allah accepted his repentance and admitted him into Paradise.
Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
“The gravest of the major sins are: associating partners with Allah, despairing of Allah’s mercy, feeling secure from Allah’s plan, and losing hope in Allah’s relief.”
{At-Tawbah by Ibn Abi-Dunya}
While two sides debate Ḥākimiyyah and whether today’s rulers have fallen into disbelief, Ahl al-Ḥadīth know they already have long before that discussion. They are Jahmiyyah who openly profess Jahmī beliefs, support Jahmī scholars, and/or venerate Jahmī heads past or present.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
Zuhd towards the worldly life brings rest to the heart and the body. Desire for the worldly life prolongs worry and sorrow.
- Kitāb Az-Zuhd Imam ‘Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal
Bishr ibn al-Harith said: Whoever insults the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is a kafir, even if he fasts, prays, and claims to be one of the Muslims.
‘An Farwah ibn Nawfal, from ʿĀʾishah. He said:
I asked her about a du’a that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to make. She said: He used to say:
‘O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done and from the evil of what I have not done.’”
‘An Abī Wāʾil, he said: ʿAbdullāh (Ibn Mas’oud) said:
“How will you be when a fitnah comes upon you in which the young will grow up and the old will grow aged, and the people will take it as a Sunnah such that if anything from it is changed, it will be said: ‘The Sunnah has been changed.’”
They said: “When will that be, O Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān?”
He said:
“When your reciters become many, your jurists become few, your leaders become many, your trustworthy ones become few, and the world is sought through deeds of the Hereafter.”
Another athar
‘An Wahshī, he said:
Regarding the matter of Ḥamzah when Allah cast the fear of Muḥammad ﷺ into my heart I fled, escaping. I stayed away by day and traveled by night until I reached the land of Ḥimyar. I settled among them.
Then a messenger of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to me calling me to Islam.
I said: “What is Islam?”
He said: “That you believe in Allah and His Messenger, abandon shirk with Allah, stop killing the soul which Allah has forbidden, stop drinking wine, stop fornication and all immoralities, perform ghusl from janābah, and pray the five (daily prayers).”
He also said: “Indeed Allah has revealed this verse:
‘O My servants who have transgressed against themselves…’”
So I said:
“I testify that there is no deity except Allah, and that Muḥammad is His servant and Messenger.”
So he shook hands with me and he gave me the Kunya Abu Harb.
Tafsir:
‘An ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ sent word to Wahshī, the killer of Ḥamzah, inviting him to Islam.
Wahshī sent back saying:
“O Muḥammad, how can you call me to Islam when you claim that whoever kills, commits shirk, or commits zinā will meet punishment the torment will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection and he will remain therein humiliated? And I have done all of that. Is there any concession for me?”
So Allah revealed:
“Except for whoever repents, believes, and does righteous deeds for those, Allah will replace their evil deeds with good. And Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (25:70)
Wahshī said:
“This condition is severe repentance, faith, and righteous deeds, and I am not sure I can fulfill that.”
So Allah revealed:
“Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.” (4:48)
Wahshī said:
“This leaves it to Allah’s will, and I do not know whether I will be forgiven or not. Is there anything other than this?”
So Allah revealed:
“O My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah.” (39:53)
Wahshī said:
“Yes, this is it.”
So he accepted Islam.
The people then said:
“O Messenger of Allah, is this (verse) only for him?”
He said:
“Rather, it is general for the Muslims.”
3668 – ‘An al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr, from the Prophet ﷺ who said:
“Dua is from ‘Ibaadah”
“Supplication is worship.”
Then he recited:
“And your Lord said: ‘Call upon Me; I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too arrogant to worship Me will enter Hell humiliated.’”
(Ghāfir 40:60)
Ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه said:
“The gravest of the major sins are: associating partners with Allah, despairing of Allah’s mercy, feeling secure from Allah’s plan, and losing hope in Allah’s relief.”
{At-Tawbah by Ibn Abi-Dunya}
Ḥassān ibn ʿAṭiyyah said:
“Jibrīl would reveal to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ the Sunnah just as he revealed to him the Qur’an, and he would teach it to him just as he taught him the Qur’an.”
Narrated from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه who said:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to give glad tidings to his companions, saying:
“Ramadan has come to you a blessed month. Allah has made its fasting obligatory upon you. In it, the gates of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hellfire are closed, and the devils are chained. In it is a night better than a thousand months. Whoever is deprived of its goodness has truly been deprived.”
Ibn Abī Ḥātim said: My father narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Muṣʿab narrated to us; Baqiyyah narrated to us; from Abū Bakr ibn Abī Maryam; from ʿAṭiyyah ibn Qays, concerning the statement of Allah Most High, “And for the one who fears standing before his Lord are two gardens” that it was revealed regarding the man who said, “Burn me in the fire.” He said: He repented for a day and a night after uttering this statement, whereupon Allah accepted his repentance and admitted him into Paradise.