The Arrival of a Mujaddid at the End of Every Century – Ḥadīth and Analysis
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 456
What is your opinion regarding the ḥadīth: “A mujaddid will come at the end of every century”? Please explain in light of the text and the narrators.
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa al-ṣalātu wa al-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The renowned muḥaddith Imām Abū Dāwūd رحمه الله narrates:
"Indeed, Allah will raise for this Ummah, at the head of every hundred years, someone who will renew for it its religion."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Malāḥim, Bāb 1, ḥadīth 4291)
"ʿAlā raʾsi kulli miʾah" (at the head of every hundred years):
"Miʾah" (century):
"Yujaddidu lahā dīnahā" (will renew its religion):
Conditions of a Mujaddid:
Who is the Mujaddid in Allah’s Sight?
Illustration:
Just as calling a common clerk “the king of a country” would be a joke, calling someone a mujaddid without proof is an unfounded claim.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), Vol. 2, p. 456The Question
What is your opinion regarding the ḥadīth: “A mujaddid will come at the end of every century”? Please explain in light of the text and the narrators.
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, wa al-ṣalātu wa al-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The renowned muḥaddith Imām Abū Dāwūd رحمه الله narrates:
"Indeed, Allah will raise for this Ummah, at the head of every hundred years, someone who will renew for it its religion."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Malāḥim, Bāb 1, ḥadīth 4291)
Authenticity of the Ḥadīth
- This narration is established with a ḥasan chain.
- Imām al-Ḥākim also narrated it through the chain of ʿAbdullāh ibn Wahb (al-Mustadrak, 4/522, ḥadīth 8592).
- Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله graded it ṣaḥīḥ (al-Ṣaḥīḥah, 599).
Brief Introduction of the Narrators
- Sulaymān ibn Dāwūd al-Miṣrī al-Mahrī – Thiqah (Reliable) (Taqrīb, 2551)
- ʿAbdullāh ibn Wahb – Thiqah, memoriser, worshipper, known to practice tadlīs (Taqrīb, 3294)
- Saʿīd ibn Abī Ayyūb – Thiqah, trustworthy (Taqrīb, 2274)
- Sharāḥīl ibn Yazīd – Truthful (ṣadūq), among the narrators of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim (Taqrīb, 2763)
- Abū ʿAlqamah Mawlā Banī Hāshim – Thiqah (Taqrīb, 8262)
Explanation of the Text
"ʿAlā raʾsi kulli miʾah" (at the head of every hundred years):
- Means the end of the century, not the beginning (ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, 4/179).
"Miʾah" (century):
- Refers to the century counted from the Hijrah of the Prophet ﷺ — the stronger view.
"Yujaddidu lahā dīnahā" (will renew its religion):
- Refers to restoring the religion to its original purity, not introducing new ideas or innovations.
About Declaring Specific Individuals as Mujaddid
- Some claim:
- 1st century hijrī mujaddid: ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz رحمه الله
- 2nd century mujaddid: Imām al-Shāfiʿī رحمه الله
- These claims have no Sharʿī evidence; thus, silence on this matter is safer.
Conditions of a Mujaddid:
- A scholar and practitioner of Qurʾān and Sunnah
- Accepts the consensus (ijmāʿ) of the Ummah
- Adheres to the understanding of the Salaf al-Ṣāliḥīn
Who is the Mujaddid in Allah’s Sight?
- Only Allah knows.
- Declaring someone a mujaddid without evidence is baseless and unscientific.
Illustration:
Just as calling a common clerk “the king of a country” would be a joke, calling someone a mujaddid without proof is an unfounded claim.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
