Narrated Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As: The Prophet ﷺ said: How will you do when that time will come? Or he said: A time will soon come when the people are sifted and only dregs of mankind survive and their covenants and guarantees have been impaired and they have disagreed among themselves and become thus, interwining his fingers. They asked: What do you order us to do, Messenger of Allah? He replied: Accept what you approve, abandon what you disapprove, attend to your own affairs and leave alone the affairs of the generality. Abu dawud said: A similar tradition has been transmitted by Abdullah bin Amr from the Prophet ﷺ through different chain.
Explanation & Benefits
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
This condition pertains entirely to the very last era, when people will pay no heed to matters of religion, faith, and goodness or righteousness.
At that time, the command is that a person should be concerned for his own self. However, before reaching such a stage, it is necessary to continue seeking individuals and opportunities for the propagation of truth to the best of one’s ability, just as is evident from the biographies of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), and the Imams (rahimahumullah).
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4342
Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi
Benefits and Issues:
Breach of covenant and promise, and betrayal in trust.
Wherever there are signs of hypocrisy, there are also signs of the days of tribulation.
It does not befit any Muslim to be involved in these faults, no matter how turbulent the circumstances may be.
If the difficulties increase to such an extent that facing them becomes extremely arduous, then one is permitted to be free from concern for others; otherwise, before reaching that point, it is not permissible for a believer to live absorbed in himself, heedless of others.
Source: Sunan Abu Dawood – Commentary by Shaykh Umar Farooq Saeedi, Page: 4343
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ In the era of the Companions (Sahabah), righteous people were greater in number; later, with the passage of time, the situation changed. Therefore, after the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), the era of the Companions and the Followers (Tabi‘in) is the best period.
➋ Righteous people will exist in every era; however, their number may be greater in some times and fewer in others.
➌ Not fulfilling promises leads to disagreement and corruption.
➍ In times of turmoil, the criterion for right and wrong is the Qur’an, Hadith, and the practice of the Companions and Followers.
➎ Whoever is unable to reform the general public should, in any case, adopt the correct path in his own actions.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 3957