Part 3

The first thing to be lost is khusha‘

This modesty and humility of his was none other than khushi’, and that is beneficial knowledge, and that is the first thing to be raised of knowledge. Nasa’i records the hadith of Jubayr ibn Nufayr (radiyAllahu ‘anhu) on the authority of ‘Awf ibn Malik (radiyAllabu ‘anhu) that, one day, the Messenger of Allah (38) looked at the sky and said, “This is the vessel to which knowledge will be raised.” A man from the Ansar called Ziyad ibn Labid said, ‘Messenger of Allah, how is it that knowledge will be raised now that it has become firm and the hearts have preserved it?” He replied, “I thought that you were the most intelligent of Madinah’s people!” He then went on to mention the misguidance of the Jews and Christians despite their having the Book of Allah, Mighty and Magnificent. (Jubayr) said, ‘So I met Shaddad ibn Aws and narrated this hadith to him and he said, ““Awf has spoken truthfully, should I not tell you the first part of knowledge to be

“ Abi Nu‘aym, a-Hihab, vol. 6, pg. 130

raised?” I replied, “Of course!” He said, “Khusha‘, until the time will come that you will not see a single person having it.”””

A similar hadith is also recorded by Tirmidhi via Jubayr ibn Nufayr on the authority of Abi al-Darda’ from the Prophet (3g). The end of this hadith has, ‘Jubayr said, “So I met ‘Ubadah ibn al-Samit and I said to him, ‘Will you not hear something from me that I heard from your brother, Abi al-Darda’?’ I narrated to him what Aba al-Darda’ had narrated to me. He said, ‘Abu al-Darda’ has spoken truthfully. If you wish, I will narrate to you about the first knowledge to be raised from the people: khushi‘. Soon will come a time when you will enter a large Masjid and not see a single person having it.””*”

It is said that the version of Nasa’ is the stronger version.

Sa‘id ibn Bashir narrated on the authority of Qatadah, on the authority of al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy on him, on the authority of Shaddad ibn Aws that the Prophet ($8) said, “The first knowledge to be raised from the people will be khushi"

* Nasa’, a/-Kubra, vol. 3, pg. 456 and Ahmad #23990 and it was ruled sahih by ibn Hibban #4572 and Hakim #337 with Dhahabi agreeing.

The hadith is also recorded by Ahmad #17473 from Ziyad ibn Labid himself and it is mungati’.

“ Tirmidhi #2653 and he said it was hasan gharib and it was ruled sahih by Hakim #338 with Dhahabi agreeing.

*“ Tabarani, a/-Kabir, vol. 7, pg. 295 #7183 and Abi al-Shaykh, a/-Tabagat, vol. 3, pp164-165 both with da‘if isnads, however the hadith was ruled hasan by Suyati, a/-Jami‘ al-Saghir #2821 and sahih by Albani, Sahih al-Jami' #2576

It is also authentically reported as a statement of Shaddad ibn Aws as stated by Mundhiti, a/-Tarhib #773.

The first thing to be lost is khushi‘

This was also recorded by Abi Bakr ibn Aba Maryam on the authority of Damrah ibn Habib as a mursal hadith.” A similar statement is also reported as the words of Hudhayfah.**

Beneficial knowledge is that which impresses itself on the heart leading to its quietude and humility, its being meek and shy before Allah, and its breaking for His sake. If knowledge does not impress upon the heart in this way and, instead, is merely something spoken on the tongue, it becomes the proof of Allah against the son of Adam which will be established against him and others. Ibn Mas‘id said, “There are people who recite the Quran yet it does not descend beyond their throats; were it to teach the heart and take root therein, it is then that it would benefit.

Ibn al-Mubarak, a4-Zuhd#175 also records this as a statement of Aba Yazid alMadani.

‘Tabarani, a-Kabir, records on the authority of Abi al-Darda’ that the Messenwer of Allah (4%) said, “The first thing to be raised from this nation will be Adushi‘ until you will not see a single person from it having it.” Mundhiri #773 said the isnad was hasan as did Haythami, Majma‘al-Zawa’id, vol. 2, pg. 136. The ianfid was ruled hasan, and the hadith, sahih by Albani, Sahih al-Tarphih #542

“ Ibn al-Mubarak #72 and Ahmad, a/-Zuhd, pg. 395

" Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 13, pg. 381 and Hakim #8448 with the words, “The first thing you will lose of your religion will be &+usha‘and the last thing you will lose of your religion will be the prayer, and the rope of Islam will be loosened knot by knot...” Hakim said it was sahith and Dhahabi agreed.

al-Hasan said, ‘Knowledge is of two types: knowledge that is superficial utterance upon the tongue, that is Allah’s proof against the children of Adam; and knowledge that takes root in the heart and that is beneficial knowledge.”*

This is also reported by al-Hasan, may Allah have mercy on him, from the Prophet (sg) as a mursal hadith.“ He also reports it from Jabir (radiyAllahu ‘anhu)” and Anas (radiyAllahu ‘anhu)* to the Prophet (4%), but it is not authentic as a hadith of his

Hence the Prophet (3) informed us that despite the knowledge that the People of the Book were given being readily available to them, they did not benefit from any of it since the primary goal behind this knowledge was missing, i.e. its reaching their hearts such that they could experience the sweetness of faith and realise its benefit of achieving fear and penitence; instead it remained superficial utterance on their tongues which served only to establish the proof against them.”

* Darimi #376 and ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 13, p. 235 and it is sahih.

“ Ibn ‘Abdu’l-Barr, a/-Jami’, vol. 1, pg. 190

” Khatib, 7arikA, vol. 4, pg. 346

“ Munawi, Fayd a/-Qadir, vol. 4, pg. 391 references it to Aba Nu‘aym and Daylami.

It is for this reason that, in His Book, Allah, Glorious is He, describes the scholars as those having fear (AAas/ya),

“It is only the learned amongst His servants who

aaa te ta Aa | 0 A Lee | Lee store fe ce te Bh eer tsercce, Se AM Spd 59225 Ji Ji.45 ae lap ye ST AA Aseria? sees FOVeOR ATE SRK y AS “What of him who spends the night hours in prayer, prostrating and standing up, mindful of the Hereafter, hoping for the mercy of his Lord? Say: ‘Are they the same - those who know and those who do not know?”*!

temporal effects”, “So beneficial knowledge is that which engenders a gnosis between the servant and his Lord and leads to this such that he comes to know his Lord, singles him out alone in belief and worship, takes comfort in Him, develops a sense of shyness (saya’) of Him, and worships Him as if he secs Him”, “The fundamental matter here is that the servant uses knowledge to engender a gnosis of his Lord. When this comes to fruition he will find Him close. When this happens, He will bring him close and answer his supplications. It is mentioned in an Judeo-Christian narration, ‘Son of Adam! Seek me and you will find Me, when you find Me you will find everything. However if you don’t find Me, you will have lost everything. I am more beloved to you than anything else.”

He describes the scholars of the People of the Book before us as having khushi’,

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“Certainly, when it is recited to them, those who were given knowledge before it fall on their faces in prostration saying, ‘Glory be to our Lord!’ Weeping, they fall to the ground in prostration, and it increases them in humility.”*

This verse eulogises those who, when they hear the Book of Allah, attain Abusha‘in their hearts. Allah, Most High, says,

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“Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah! Such people are clearly misguided. Allah has sent down the Supreme Discourse, a Book consistent in its frequent repetitions. The skins of those who fear their Lord

tremble at it and then their skins and hearts yield softly to the remembrance of Allah.”*

The softening of the heart refers to the removal of its hardness due to the onset of &busha‘ and gentleness therein.

their hearts became hard? Many of them are deviators.”**

Ibn Mas‘td (radiyAl/labu ‘anhu) said, ‘The time between our ac cepting Islam and being rebuked by this verse was four years.’ This was recorded by Muslim.” It was also recorded by others

with the additional words, ‘So the Muslims began to rebuke each other.”**

Ibn Majah records the hadith of ibn al-Zubayr (radiyAllabu ‘anhu) who said, “There were only four years between their accepting Islam and the revelation of this verse by which Allah rebuked them.”

Many of the righteous would be gravely affected when this verse was recited to them. Some would die because their hearts burst at hearing it, and others repented and abandoned whatever they were previously doing. We have mentioned their narratives in (our) book, a/-lstighna’ bi’l-Quran.

Allah, Most High, says,

“If we has sent down this Qur’4n onto a mountain, you would have seen it humbled, crushing to pieces out of fear of Allah...”