Bukhari

Chapter of Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith Number: 7117: «بَابُ تَغْيِيرِ الزَّمَانِ حَتَّى يَعْبُدُوا الأَوْثَانَ:»
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah, in the chapter heading, has alluded to the changing of times and the beginning of idol worship in Arabia, whereas in the hadith under the chapter, which he narrates from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu, there are no such words from which the aspect of conformity becomes apparent.

Accordingly, al-Isma‘ili has raised this objection:
«ليس هذا الحديث من ترجمة الباب فى شيئي.» [شرح ابن بطال 60/10]
“This hadith has nothing to do with the chapter heading.” In response to this objection, ‘Allamah Mahlib rahimahullah has provided an answer, as he rahimahullah says:
«بأن وجهه أن القحطاني إذا قام وليس من بيت النبوة ولا من قريش الذين جعل الله فيهم الخلافة فهو من أكبر تغير الزمان وتبديل الأحكام بأن يطاع فى الدين من ليس أهلاً لذالك.» [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 67/4]
“That is, when the Qahtani appears, who will neither be from the House of Prophethood nor from the Quraysh, among whom Allah the Exalted established the Caliphate, then this will be among the great changes of the times and the alteration of rulings, that in the religion, a person has become obeyed who was not worthy of it.”
The summary of ‘Allamah Mahlib rahimahullah’s statement is that when the Qahtani man appears and drives people with his staff, that era will have been severely afflicted by changes; this is precisely what Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah wants to establish through the mentioned hadith, from which the relevance to the chapter becomes clear.

‘Allamah ‘Ayni rahimahullah has also given a similar explanation of the relevance, saying:
«مطابقة للترجمة من حيث إن سوق رجل من قحطان الناس بعصاه إنما يكون فى تغيير الزمان و تبديل أحوال الإسلام.» [عمدة القاري للعيني : 306/24]
“The conformity of the hadith to the chapter heading is that when the Qahtani person will drive people with his staff, that will be a time of changes, and the conditions of Islam will also be altered.”

Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani rahimahullah, commenting in Fath al-Bari, writes:
«وحاصله أنه مطابق لصدر الترجمة وهو تغير الزمان و تغيره أعم من أن يكون فيما يرجع إلى الفسق أو الكفر.» [فتح الباري لابن حجر : 67/24]
“The upshot is that the connection between the chapter and the hadith is that the change of times, and its alteration, is more general than whether its reference is to immorality or disbelief.”
Therefore, the era in which the Qahtani will drive people with his stick will be one severely afflicted by changes, because in that period the conditions of Islam will have changed and the majority will be engaged in idol worship; thus, from here, the relevance between the chapter and the hadith is established.

Hadith Commentary:
The name of Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu is Abdur Rahman bin Sakhr.
He embraced Islam during the Battle of Khaybar and joined the Ashab al-Suffah, remaining constantly in the company of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
He passed away at the age of 78 in the year 58 AH.
He had kept a small cat, due to which he became well-known as Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu wa ardah.
Near the Day of Judgment, there will be a certain king from the tribe of Qahtan.

Hadith Commentary:
Two outcomes will result from the changing of times:
➊ One is that a person, becoming hopeless due to circumstances, will reach the point of disbelief (kufr), as has been mentioned in the previous hadith.
➋ The second is that a person will reach the point of immorality and wickedness (fisq wa fujur), as is mentioned in this hadith: that a leader from (the tribe of) Qahtan will drive people with his stick.

At that time, the condition of Islam will change, because this person will not be from among the caliphs (khulafa), nor will he be adorned with the honor of the caliphate (khilafah). Rather, he will be a rustic and uncivilized person who will drive people like animals, or, in his view, horses and donkeys will be of the same standard—that is, he will drive all people with the same stick.

An era of lawlessness will prevail, and people will live their lives free from every kind of regulation.

And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
The name of this Qahtani individual is mentioned as Jahjah in the narration of Sahih Muslim.
It is said that this Qahtani will emerge after Imam Mahdi and will follow directly in his footsteps, as narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in "Al-Fitan."
(Wahidi)
In some manuscripts, this chapter and several subsequent chapters are mentioned after the story of Zamzam.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The lineage of the tribes of Yemen, such as Himyar, Kindah, and Hamdan, etc., traces back to Qahtan.
There is a difference of opinion as to whether Qahtan is from the descendants of Prophet Isma'il (alayhis salam) or not.
In any case, near the end of times, there will be a king from Qahtan who will drive people with his staff.
This means that he will make people his subjects, just as a shepherd subjugates his goats.
There is a narration in Sahih Muslim:
"The world will not end until a man will become the master of the world, who will be called Jahjah."
(Sahih Muslim, Al-Fitan, Hadith: 7309(2911))
It is possible that the name of the Qahtani will be Jahjah.

➋
This person will come after Imam Mahdi (rahimahullah) and will rule by following in his footsteps.
Some narrations indicate that he will rule for twenty years.
This hadith is a prophecy of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) whose occurrence has not yet taken place.
And Allah knows best.
(Fath al-Bari: 6/667)

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:

➊ There is a difference of opinion regarding when Hajj was made obligatory. There are two well-known views: 6 AH and 9 AH. The correct view appears to be that Hajj was made obligatory in 9 AH, after the conquest of Makkah in 8 AH, when Muslim authority was established over Makkah al-Mukarramah. However, in that year, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did not perform Hajj himself; rather, he sent Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu as the leader of Hajj and had several important proclamations made during that Hajj. This was so that when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam himself performed Hajj the following year, there would be no mixture of the filthy and polytheistic customs of the Age of Ignorance, and people could learn the correct methods of performing Hajj directly from him. Therefore, the Hajj of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was publicized with special attention so that as many Muslims as possible could accompany him on this blessed journey and learn the rites of Hajj and other religious matters and rulings. For this reason, people came in crowds to participate in this Hajj for the sake of the Prophet’s companionship, and the number of fellow travelers kept increasing along the way.

➋ Types of Hajj:
There are three types of Hajj:
1. Hajj Ifrad (Single Hajj): The pilgrim intending this type enters the state of ihram from the appointed miqat solely for Hajj and remains in the state of ihram until the completion of Hajj.
2. Hajj Tamattu‘ (Enjoyment Hajj): The pilgrim enters the state of ihram from the miqat solely for ‘Umrah, and this ihram must be entered during the months of Hajj. Upon reaching Makkah al-Mukarramah, he performs the circumambulation (tawaf) of the Ka‘bah, then performs sa‘i between Safa and Marwah, then after shaving or trimming the hair (halq or taqsir), he exits the state of ihram. On the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, he enters a new ihram for Hajj and performs all the rites of Hajj anew. That is, on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah, after returning from Mina and performing the tawaf al-ifadah, he again performs sa‘i between Safa and Marwah and completes his Hajj. Before the tawaf al-ifadah, he performs the stoning (rami), sacrifice (qurbani), and shaving or trimming (halq or taqsir).
3. Hajj Qiran (Combined Hajj): The pilgrim enters the state of ihram from the miqat for both ‘Umrah and Hajj together, and after performing ‘Umrah, does not exit the state of ihram but remains in ihram until the completion of Hajj. That is, he exits ihram after the tawaf al-ifadah, after performing the sacrifice and shaving or trimming.

➌ The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam departed from Madinah Munawwarah on Saturday, the 25th of Dhu al-Qi‘dah, 10 AH, after the Zuhr prayer, and spent the night at Dhu al-Hulayfah. The next day, Sunday, after the Zuhr prayer, he entered the state of ihram at the mosque of Dhu al-Hulayfah. Since it was the custom of the Arabs that when they set out for Hajj, they would only enter ihram for Hajj and not combine it with ‘Umrah, therefore, when departing from Madinah Munawwarah, everyone’s intention was only for Hajj. However, when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was commanded in the valley of ‘Aqiq to combine ‘Umrah with Hajj, he advised the people to recite the talbiyah for ‘Umrah. Therefore, some people began reciting the talbiyah for ‘Umrah from there. But since the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had the sacrificial animal (hady) with him, he combined ‘Umrah with Hajj and became a qarin (one performing Hajj Qiran). The noble wives (azwaj mutahharat) also began reciting the talbiyah for ‘Umrah and annulled their Hajj, but some people remained in ihram for Hajj only until the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, after completing the tawaf of the Ka‘bah and the sa‘i between Safa and Marwah in Makkah al-Mukarramah, ordered all those who did not have a sacrificial animal to exit ihram. In this way, all these people became mutamatti‘ (those performing Hajj Tamattu‘), even though when they had set out from Madinah, their intention was for Hajj Ifrad. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam presented the excuse for himself that since he had the sacrificial animal, he could not exit ihram and become a mutamatti‘. If he had not had the sacrificial animal, he would have exited ihram after performing ‘Umrah just as they did.

➍ ‘A’ishah radi Allahu anha, like the other noble wives, had initially intended to perform ‘Umrah first, but since she became menstruating before the tawaf of the Ka‘bah, she could not perform ‘Umrah first. Therefore, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam ordered her to perform Hajj Qiran, because in this type, the acts of ‘Umrah are included within the acts of Hajj. Thus, those who performed Hajj Qiran performed sa‘i between Safa and Marwah only once, whereas those performing Hajj Tamattu‘ performed sa‘i again between Safa and Marwah after the tawaf al-ifadah.

➎ ‘A’ishah radi Allahu anha had intended to perform Hajj Tamattu‘, in which ‘Umrah and Hajj are separate, but due to the excuse of menstruation, she could not perform a separate ‘Umrah, whereas the other noble wives did perform a separate ‘Umrah. Therefore, she wished to perform a separate ‘Umrah as well, even though her ‘Umrah had already been included with her Hajj Qiran. In consideration of her wish, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, after the completion of Hajj, had her perform another ‘Umrah from the place of Tan‘im, which is in the area outside the sanctuary (hil), accompanied by ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr radi Allahu anhu.

➏ There is no difference among the Imams regarding the permissibility of all three types of Hajj. However, according to Imam Malik rahimahullah and Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah, Hajj Ifrad is superior. According to Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah, both Hajj Tamattu‘ and Hajj Qiran are superior to Hajj Ifrad. According to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, Hajj Qiran is superior, and according to Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, Hajj Tamattu‘ is superior. According to Hafiz Ibn Qayyim rahimahullah, the qarin (one performing Hajj Qiran) who brings the sacrificial animal with him is superior to the mutamatti‘ (one performing Hajj Tamattu‘); if he does not bring the sacrificial animal, then the mutamatti‘ is superior.

➐ According to Imam Malik rahimahullah, Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah, Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, and the hadith scholars, for the qarin, one tawaf and one sa‘i are obligatory, and for the mutamatti‘, two tawafs and two sa‘is. According to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, two tawafs and two sa‘is are obligatory for the qarin as well. However, this position is based on weak hadiths that contradict authentic hadiths, as Hafiz Ibn Qayyim rahimahullah has explained in detail in Zad al-Ma‘ad (Zad al-Ma‘ad, vol. 2, pp. 136–140). According to one opinion of Imam Ahmad rahimahullah and some others, the mutamatti‘ may suffice with one sa‘i, although two sa‘is are preferable.