Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Please explain this hadith

 

Narrated by Abu SAID Al KHUDRI

 

The prophet said "There will emerge from the east some people who will recite the Quran but it will not exceed their throats and who will go out of (renounce) the religion (islam) as ab arrow passes through the game, and they will never come back to it unless the arrow cmes back to the middle of the bow (by itself) (i.e. impossible). The people asked, "WHAT will their signs be ? " He said "Their sign will be the habit of shaving ( of the beards)

 

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Answer:

 

Explain hadith people east leave deen

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

The above quoted hadith narrated by Hadrat Abu Said al-Khudri (r.a.) from the Messenger of Allah (saws) is indeed considered ‘sahih’ or authentic and is related by Al-Bukhari in his collection of ‘sahih’.

 

The above hadith is a prophecy foretold by the Messenger of Allah (saws) as a warning to the true believers, that there will emerge groups of people from the east of Medina in the future who will claim to be muslims and will ‘look’ and ‘feel’ and ‘portray’ themselves as extremely religious and pious; but the truth is that in the sight of Allah Subhanah they will be apostates.  They would recite the Quran in such a beautiful way, that the believers would think their recitation is nothing; and the praying of the prayers would be so perfect, that the believers would look down upon their own prayers; and the constancy and perfections of their fasts would humiliate the fasts of the true believers!  The Messenger of Allah (saws) warned the believers that although these people would perform all the ‘rituals’ and ‘rites’ of Islam in an absolute perfect manner, their main reason or intentions for their rites and rituals would be to win the praises of people and not the Pleasure, Good Will, and Rewards of Allah Subhanah.

 

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.67 Narrated by Abu Said

While the Prophet (saws) was distributing something, 'Abdullah bin Dhil Khawaisira At-Tamimi came and said, "Be just, O Allah's Messenger (saws)!"  The Prophet (saws) said, "Woe to you!  Who would be just if I were not?"  Hadrat Umar bin Al-Khattab (r.a.) said, "Allow me to cut off his neck!"  The Prophet (saws) said, "Leave him, for he has companions, and if you compare your prayers with their prayers and your fasting with theirs, you will look down upon your prayers and fasting in comparison to theirs.  Yet they will go out of the religion as an arrow darts through the game's body in which case, if the Qudhadh of the arrow is examined, nothing will be found on it, and when its Nasl is examined, nothing will be found on it; and then its Nadiyi is examined, nothing will be found on it.  The arrow has been too fast to be smeared by dung and blood.  The sign by which these people will be recognized will be a man whose one hand (or breast) will be like the breast of a woman. These people will appear when there will be differences among the people (Muslims)."

 

The Messenger of Allah (saws) foretold in the above hadiths the coming of people who would recite the Quran beautifully, but they would neither understand it, nor would they wish to obey and follow its guidance.  Although they would be recognized as muslims, in the sight of Allah Subhanah they would be amongst those who have renounced Islam.  They would go so far astray in the deen that it would be as impossible for them to come back to the Straight Path as it is for an arrow which is shot to come back to its bow on its own! 

 

The hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saws) is a general warning to the believers to not be over-awed by ‘looks’, and the perfection of someones ‘rites’ and ‘rituals’ in Islam if the people who do not sincerely fear Allah Subhanah, and do deeds only to earn His Pleasure and Good Will.  Many a group of such people emerged after the death of the Messenger of Allah (saws), claiming and portraying that they were the ‘best’ of believers but they neither feared Allah nor worked in His Cause; but their deeds were for personal or worldly gains.  

 

One must understand that these are general hadiths and a warning from the Messenger of Allah (saws) to the true believers to beware of such seemingly pious and religious people who do not fear Allah, nor work sincerely for His Cause.   

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

  

Your Brother in Islam,

 

 

Burhan