Muslim

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: The Noble Qur’an is Allah Almighty’s constitution of life and code of conduct for mankind; it is His command and covenant. Loyalty and obedience to it is loyalty and obedience to Allah Almighty, and deviation and rebellion from this system of life and code of conduct is deviation and rebellion against Allah Almighty. And Allah Almighty’s decision is that any individual or nation who adopts it as their constitution of life and makes their affairs of life subservient and obedient to it, Allah Almighty will grant them honor and elevation. Conversely, any nation or community that adopts deviation and rebellion from it, and after believing in it does not act upon it, will never be able to achieve progress and ascendancy.

According to this principle and rule, during the era of Muslim ascendancy and progress, only those people were brought forward and given positions and ranks who were experts in Qur’anic sciences. On the strength of his knowledge of the Qur’an, a freed slave became the successor to the governor of Makkah, so Umar radi Allahu anhu withdrew his objection to this and narrated this hadith of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. However, the word (أَقْوَامًا) in the hadith indicates that this divine decision and law of rise and fall is not related to individuals and persons, but rather to nations and communities. The entire history of Islam and the Muslims is a reflection of the truth of this hadith: when the Muslims, as a whole, connected themselves to the religion, they attained honor and ascendancy; and when their connection as a nation and community with the religion was severed, they fell into decline and degradation, which we can witness with our own eyes today.

Commentary:
(1)
The narrator of this incident, Abu Tufayl Amir bin Wathilah radi Allahu anhu, is among those Companions radi Allahu anhum who, during the blessed life of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, were of childhood age.
According to the statement of Imam Muslim rahimahullah, he was the last among the Companions radi Allahu anhum to pass away.
He died in the year 110 Hijri.
Hazrat Nafi’ bin Abdul Harith radi Allahu anhu is also a Companion.
He had the honor of accepting Islam at the occasion of the Conquest of Makkah.
The name of Hazrat Ibn Abza radi Allahu anhu is Abdur Rahman; his affiliation is with the tribe of Banu Khuza’ah, from the sub-branch Dila’, and he is also among the younger Companions.

(2)
During the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphate (Khilafah Rashidah), the criterion of importance for any governmental position was solely knowledge and practice, not tribe or family.

(3)
The astonishment expressed by Hazrat Umar radi Allahu anhu upon appointing a freed slave to a position does not mean that he did not consider such individuals eligible for office; rather, his purpose was to ascertain on what basis Nafi’ radi Allahu anhu had appointed Ibn Abza radi Allahu anhu to this position.
When it became clear that he was indeed worthy of this office, he expressed approval of his appointment.

(4)
In the Prophetic statement, only the Book of Allah (the Noble Qur’an) is mentioned, but only that person can truly be called a scholar of the Book of Allah who also possesses knowledge of hadith, because the Prophetic hadith is the explanation and practical commentary of the Noble Qur’an.

Abu al-Tufayl ‘Amir ibn Wathilah, may Allah be pleased with him, was the last of the Companions to pass away

Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani rahimahullah said:

“Because all of us, the people of hadith, consider anyone who claims to be a Companion after Abu al-Tufayl ‘Amir ibn Wathilah (radi Allahu anhu) to be categorically a liar, and Allah alone guides to the truth. We take as proof the authentic, mutawatir hadith in which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘After one hundred years—from the time of this statement of yours—not a single person will remain on the face of the earth who was present at the time of this statement.’”

See: [المجمع الموسس للمعجم المفهرس 2 / 552 طبع دارالمعرفة بيروت لبنان]

There is no evidence that any Companion remained alive on the face of the earth after our master Abu al-Tufayl (radi Allahu anhu), and those who claimed to be Companions after that era were liars.

What is correct is that Abu al-Tufayl ‘Amir ibn Wathilah (radi Allahu anhu) died in 110 AH, and among all the noble Companions, he was the last to pass away (radi Allahu anhu). See: [تقريب التهذيب: 3111]

... For details, see ...
Shaykh Zubair Ali Zai rahimahullah’s research in “Shama’il al-Tirmidhi,” hadith 14, page 58, “Sharh wa Fawa’id.”