Bukhari

Lexical Explanation:
«جَذْر» Origin.
«الْوكْت» Black spot.
«الْمَجْل» Blister, which appears on the hand, etc., due to excessive work.
«نَفِطَ» To become big, to be elevated.
«مُنْتَبراً» Swollen, elevated.

Understanding the Hadith:
The prophecy of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is seen today being fulfilled exactly as stated: everywhere, dishonesty and treachery are rampant, and lying, deception, and fraud are widespread. However, this does not mean that trustworthiness and honesty have completely vanished; rather, trustworthy people still exist today, but they are as rare as salt in flour, while the majority are indeed dishonest. «العياذ بالله»

Hadith Commentary: Only a few people are worthy that I deal with them.

In the text of Qastallani, there is even more wording here.

Qal al-Farabrī: Abu Ja‘far said, “I narrated to Abu ‘Abdullah (i.e., Imam Bukhari), and he said: I heard from Abu Ahmad ibn ‘Asim... who said: I heard from Abu ‘Ubayd, who said: Al-Asma‘i, Abu ‘Amr, and others said: ‘Jadhar’ (جذر) in the hearts of men means the root (origin) of everything; ‘wakat’ (وکت) is the slight, faint mark of something; and ‘majal’ (مجل) is the thick callus or blister that forms on the palm due to work.”

That is, Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Farabrī said: Abu Ja‘far Muhammad ibn Hatim, who was the scribe of Imam Bukhari and used to write his books, said: I narrated a hadith to Imam Bukhari, and he said: I heard from Abu Ahmad ibn ‘Asim al-Balkhi, who said: I heard from Abu ‘Ubayd, who said: ‘Abdul-Malik ibn Quraib al-Asma‘i and Abu ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ala’ al-Qahiri and others said to Sufyan al-Thawri: The word ‘jadhar’ (جذر) mentioned in the hadith means ‘root’, and ‘wakat’ (وکت) refers to a light, faint scar, and ‘majal’ (مجل) is the thick callus or blister that forms on the hand due to work.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Some scholars have interpreted "bay'at" here as the pledge of allegiance to the caliphate, whereas this meaning is incorrect because how could this be possible with Christians and disbelievers? Rather, what is meant here is engaging in transactions of buying and selling.
(Fath al-Bari: 11/406) (2)
Trustworthiness is an important characteristic of the Muslim society; however, in non-Islamic societies, deception, fraud, and betrayal are considered virtues. The meaning of the last statement of Hudhayfah radi Allahu anhu is that now trustworthy and honest individuals have become very few; in this era, they are not just rare but almost nonexistent. The meaning of trustworthiness departing from a sleeping heart is that trust and honesty will rapidly disappear, to the extent that the person who was previously trustworthy will himself become dishonest.
(3)
The reason for the analogy with a blister is that, due to its swelling, a blister appears significant outwardly, but it is empty inside. In the same way, people will appear righteous outwardly, but their hearts will be empty of righteousness and honesty.

Hadith Commentary:
This describes the condition of the best generations (khayr al-quroon).
Nowadays, no matter how much the trustworthiness and honesty are destroyed, it is still too little (i.e., the situation is dire).
There are so many claimants of religion who are completely devoid of trustworthiness and honesty.
From this hadith, it is also established that it is permissible to engage in transactions with non-Muslims, provided there is no fear of any danger.
Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman passed away in the year 35 AH in Mada’in; he died forty days after the martyrdom of Uthman (radi Allahu anhu).
(radi Allahu anhu)

Hadith Commentary:
This hadith is among the signs of prophethood, because it contains the possibility of people’s religion becoming corrupted and the trust (amanah) departing in the end times.

The summary of the example mentioned in the hadith is that, gradually, trust (amanah) will depart from people.

In the end, only darkness upon darkness will remain.

Nowadays, the sanctity of trust and honesty is being violated; there are so many people who, despite claiming to be religious, are completely devoid of trust and honesty.

When such conditions arise that one cannot trust or rely on anyone regarding trust and honesty, and deceitful people become numerous, then instead of worrying about such people, a person should be concerned about himself. However, the obligation of enjoining good (amr bil-ma‘ruf) and forbidding evil (nahy ‘an al-munkar) should also continue.

This appears to be the purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah in this chapter heading and the hadith he has presented.

And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
The explanation of the Qur'an is the noble hadith; without hadith, the correct meaning of the Qur'an cannot be known. All the misguided sects in this ummah do what? They take the Qur'an and abandon the hadith, and since some verses of the Qur'an are ambiguous, they insert their own opinions into them and thus go astray. Therefore, it is obligatory upon Muslims to read the Qur'an together with the hadith, and to adopt only that interpretation which is in accordance with the hadith.

By the grace and bounty of Allah, in this last era when various kinds of tribulations are appearing among the Muslims and the deputies of Dajjal and Satan are spreading everywhere, He has enabled the compilation of a concise and correct commentary of the Qur'an, namely "Tafsir Muwaddih al-Furqan," to safeguard the faith of the common Muslims. Now, every Muslim can easily understand the correct meaning of the Qur'an and can protect himself from these Dajjali and satanic snares.

All praise is due to Allah, the selected marginal notes and the Qur'an with the Thanai translation are also extremely beneficial for this purpose.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Hudhayfah radi Allahu anhu described not only the descent of trustworthiness (amanah) but also the manner in which it is lifted. Accordingly, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established a chapter in Kitab al-Riqaq with the following words:
(Bab Raf‘ al-Amanah)
“Chapter: The Lifting of Trustworthiness.” For further information on this, refer to Hadith: 6497.

➋
By “amanah” is meant faith (iman) and its rulings, and by “people” is meant the people of faith, i.e., Allah Ta‘ala placed trustworthiness in the hearts of the believers by their very nature (fitrah). Then, through the light of the Qur’an and Hadith, this innate faithfulness was perfected. Thus, both natural disposition (fitrah) and the Shari‘ah are combined in the preservation of trustworthiness.

In any case, this hadith alludes to following the Qur’an and Sunnah, and this is also the objective of the chapter heading established by Imam Bukhari rahimahullah.

Wallahu al-musta‘an.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
:
(1)
AL-AMĀNAH:
Trustworthiness here refers to that responsibility and obligation for which a human is accountable,
and to the verse in Surah Al-Ahzab: ﴿إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ﴾ “Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth.”
(2)
JADHRI QULŪBIR RIJĀL:
Jadhr can be read with a fatḥah or kasrah on the letter jīm,
meaning root and origin.
(3)
AL-WAKT:
A light mark that is tinged with blackness.
(4)
MAJLUN:
With a fatḥah on the mīm, and the jīm can have either a kasrah or sukun,
a blister that appears on the hands as a result of working with an axe or a hoe, etc.
(5)
NAFIT:
With a kasrah under the fā’,
the fluid that forms between the skin and flesh.
(6)
MUNTABIRAN:
Swollen or raised,
from this comes the word minbar (pulpit).
(7)
MĀ AJLADAHU:
Derived from jalādah,
refers to capability and firmness,
a strong and patient person or an intelligent one,
how brave and courageous he is,
or how strong and powerful he is,
or how intelligent and astute he is.
(8)
MĀ AZRAFAHU:
Zarāfah:
wisdom,
skill and proficiency,
how skillful,
expert or clever he is.

Benefits and Issues:
(1)
The sense of fulfilling covenants, obligations, and responsibilities has been placed in human nature and disposition,
and man, by his natural and innate disposition, considers himself bound to the divinity and lordship of Allah Ta‘ala,
and this is further strengthened and affirmed by the Qur’an and Sunnah.
(2)
Gradually, man drifts away from his nature and disposition, and his nature becomes distorted, resulting in the loss of the sense of responsibility,
and darkness and blackness begin to envelop the heart,
and eventually this sense of covenant is completely lost and becomes like a blister that contains nothing inside.
Nowadays, this is the condition of the majority of people: the sense of responsibility within them has vanished,
adherence to and observance of the Qur’an and Sunnah is practically disappearing day by day, and their indifference towards religion is increasing.
(3)
When the sense of responsibility and obligation is lost, then the basis for praise and commendation of a person
will no longer be knowledge and action or piety and trustworthiness,
but rather abundance of wealth,
bravery and courage, eloquence and rhetoric, and position and rank will become the reasons for praise,
and nowadays this situation can be seen everywhere.

Explanation:
1:
That is, its manifestation has already occurred, and after acquiring the knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah, further firmness regarding this trust (amanah) has developed in people’s hearts, and honesty concerning it has increased.

2:
From this it is understood that the explanation and exegesis (tafsir) of the Qur’an should be understood from the Qur’an itself, and then from the Sunnah and Prophetic hadith. Similarly, in understanding the Qur’an, the third level is the understanding of the Companions (radi Allahu anhum), and the fourth level is the Followers (Tabi‘in) and the Followers of the Followers (Taba‘ Tabi‘in), as the meaning of this is also clarified by the previous hadith (2156).

3:
That is, just as the skin of a boil that has appeared on the body becomes thick at the time of healing, so too will be the state of trust (amanah). It is as if the level of this trust is much less than that which had remained the size of a single dot, because here only a mark remains.

Benefits and Issues:

➊
Trustworthiness is an important characteristic of a Muslim's character.

➋
The meaning of the attribute of trustworthiness being removed from the heart while sleeping is that this quality will rapidly disappear among people, to the extent that a person who was previously trustworthy will, in a single moment, become untrustworthy.

➌
The blister is used as a comparison because, due to its swollen appearance, it seems significant on the outside, although it is empty inside. In the same way, people will appear righteous outwardly, but their hearts will be empty of righteousness.

➍
In non-Islamic societies, deception and fraud are considered virtues and are praised. Muslims should not be like this.

➎
The meaning of the last statement of Hudhayfah (radi Allahu anhu) is that now trustworthy individuals have become very few.

Benefit:
The Qur'an and Hadith have been referred to as knowledge. The virtue of the noble Companions (radi Allahu anhum) has been mentioned because they studied the Qur'an and Hadith thoroughly, and all of them were trustworthy. Criticizing them is the practice of misguided people. From this hadith, the importance of trustworthiness is also established; it will disappear among people. Subhan Allah! We are witnessing its sign with our own eyes—there is not a trustworthy person to be found far and wide; everyone is overcome by greed, lust, and dishonesty. May Allah, the Exalted, make us trustworthy. Ameen.