Concerning the

t Passagge of Timee

ٌ‫اهلل ﻋَﻠَ ْﻴ ِﻪ َو َﺳ َّ َﲅ َو َﰷ َن ﺑ ِﺸَﺸﲑ‬ُ َّ ‫اهلل َﺻ َّﲆ‬ ِ َّ ِ‫" ُﻛﻨَّﺎ ﻗُ ُﻌﻮدًا ِﰲ اﻟْ َﻤ ْﺴﺠِ ِﺪ َﻣ َﻊ َر ُﺳ لِﻮل‬:‫رووى اﻻٕﻣﺎم ٔاﲪﺪ ﰲ ﻣﺴـﻨﺪﻩ َﻋ ِﻦ اﻟﻨُّ ْﻌ َﻤ ِﺎن ْﺑ ِﻦ ﺑ َِﺸ ٍﲑ ﻗَﺎ َل‬
‫اهلل ﻋَﻠَ ْﻴ ِﻪ َو َﺳ َّ َﲅ ِﰲ ْ ُٔاﻻ َﻣ َﺮ ِءاء ﻓَ َﻘﺎ َل‬ُ َّ ‫اهلل َﺻ َّﲆ‬ ِ َّ ِ‫ﻳﺚ َر ُﺳﻮل‬ َ ‫ﻆ َﺣ ِﺪ‬ ُ ‫ﺸﲑ ْﺑ َﻦ َﺳ ْﻌ ٍﺪ َٔا َ ْﲢ َﻔ‬ ُ ‫َر ُﺟ ًﻼ ﻳَ ُﻜ ُّﻒ َﺣ ِﺪﻳﺜَ ُﻪ ﻓَ َﺠ َﺎء َٔاﺑُﻮ ﺛَ ْﻌﻠَ َﺒ َﺔ اﻟْ ُﺨ َﺸـ ِ ُّﲏ ﻓَ َﻘﺎ َل َاي ﺑ َِﺸ‬
‫اهلل َٔا ْن‬
ُ َّ ‫ﻓﻴﲂ َﻣﺎ َﺷ َﺎء‬ ْ ُ ‫ﻮن اﻟﻨُّ ُﺒ َّﻮ ُة ِﻓﻴ‬
ُ ‫ﺳﲅ ﺗَ ُﻜ‬ َ َّ ‫اهلل ﻋَﻠَ ْﻴ ِﻪ َو َﺳ‬ُ َّ ‫اهلل َﺻ َّﲆ‬ ِ َّ ‫ﻮل‬ ُ ‫ُﺣ َﺬﻳْ َﻔ ُﺔ َٔاانَ َٔا ْﺣ َﻔﻆُ ﺧ ُْﻄﻄ َﺒ َﺘ ُﻪ ﻓَ َﺠﻠَ َﺲ َٔاﺑُﻮ ﺛَ ْﻌﻠَ َﺒ َﺔ ﻓَ َﻘﺎ َل ُﺣ َﺬﻳْ َﻔ ُﺔ ﻗَﺎ َل َر ُﺳ‬
‫اهلل َٔا ْن ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ َﻌﻬَﺎ‬ ُ َّ ‫ﻮن ُ َّﰒ ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ ُﻌﻬََﺎ ا َذا َﺷ َﺎء‬َ ‫اهلل َٔا ْن ﺗَ ُﻜ‬ ُ َّ ‫ﻮن َﻣﺎ َﺷﺎ َء‬ ُ ‫ﻮن ِﺧ َﻼﻓَ ٌﺔ ﻋَ َﲆ ِﻣﳯْ َﺎجِ اﻟﻨُّ ُﺒ َّﻮ ِة ﻓَﺘَ ُﻜ‬ ُ ‫ﻮن ُ َّﰒ ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ ُﻌﻬَﺎ ا َذا َﺷ َﺎء َٔا ْن ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ َﻌﻬَﺎ ُ َّﰒ ﺗَ ُﻜ‬
َ ‫ﺗَ ُﻜﻮ‬
ِٕ ِٕ
‫ﻮن‬َ ‫اهلل َٔا ْن ﺗَ ُﻜ‬ ُ َّ ‫ﻮن َﻣﺎ َﺷﺎ َء‬ ُ ‫ﻮن ُﻣﻣﻠْ ًﲀ َﺟ ْ ِﱪﻳ َّ ًﺔ ﻓَﺘَ ُﻜ‬ ُ ‫ﻮن ُ َّﰒ ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ ُﻌﻬَﺎ ا َذا َﺷ َﺎء َٔا ْن ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ َﻌﻬَﺎ ُ َّﰒ ﺗَ ُﻜ‬
َ ‫هلل َٔا ْن ﻳَ ُﻜ‬ ُ َّ ‫ﻮن َﻣﺎ َﺷ َﺎء‬
‫اهلل‬ ُ ‫ﻮن ُﻣ ْﻠ ًﲀ ﻋَﺎﺿًّ ﺎ ﻓَﻴَ ُﻜ‬ ُ ‫ُ َّﰒ ﺗَ ُﻜ‬
ِٕ
‫ﻮن ِﺧ َﻼﻓَ ًﺔ ﻋَ َﲆ ِﻣﳯْ َﺎججِ اﻟﻨُّ ُﺒ َّﻮ ِة ُ َّﰒ َﺳ َﻜ َﺖ‬ ُ ‫ُ َّﰒ ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ ُﻌﻬَﺎ ا َذا َﺷ َﺎء َٔا ْن ﻳَ ْﺮﻓَ َﻌﻬَﺎ ُ َّﰒ ﺗَ ُﻜ‬
ِٕ
Al-Immām Aḥmad d [d. 241 H] collected
c in his Musnad,, the ḥadīth oof Al-Nuʿmāān Ibn Bashīīr
b, whow said:
“We were sitting in the mosq que with the Messenger oof Allāh k; aand Bashīr w was a man,
who withheld
w hiss speech; theen Abū Thaʿllabah Al-Khhushanī b eentered and asked: ‘Oh
Bahīrr ibn Saʿīd, did
d you mesm merize the ḥadith
ḥ of Allāāh’s Messennger concernning the
Emirs?’
Ḥudh haifah b saaid: ‘I’ve meemorized his Kuṭbah’. A Abū Thaʿlabaah sat, and Ḥ
Ḥudhaifah
said: ‘The Messenger of Allāāh said: Therre will be Proophet-hood amongst youu for as longg
as Alllāh wants; th hen He will remove it when
w He wannts to removee it. Then theere will be
Calipphate, upon the
t model off Prophet-hood. This willl last for as llong as Allāāh wants it too
last. Then
T w remove it when He wills. Then there will bee tyrannical,, contentiouss1
Allāh will
kingd dom[s]2, andd it will last for
f as long as
a Allah wannts to last, theen He will reemove it
when n He wants to w be opprressive, subjuugating3 Kinngdom[s].
o remove it. Then there will
And this
t will rem main as long as Allah wan nts it to rem
main; then Hee will removve it when Hee
wantss to remove it. Then therre will be Caaliphate on thhe model off Prophet-hoood.
Then n he was silen nt k.” [# 17608]
                                                            
1
 The rreason we tran nslate the wordd ‫عاضّا‬ here as: “tyrannical, ccontentious”, iss because it co
onfirms with 
what w was mentioned d by Al‐Imām Ibn al‐Athīr in hhis dictionary oof strange ḥadīīth vocabulary, al‐Nihāyah fīī
Gharīb b al‐Ḥadīth. In another narration, the word used is ‫ععضوض‬, which mean ns:‫ عاض‬, or is tthe plural of 
‫عِ ض‬, wwhich means: aan aggressive m miscreant, who o competes in  wickedness.   
2
 The ““s” is added heere to indicate plurality, base
ed on another nnarration where the plural iss used. 
3
 The ssecond type off kingdom is distinct from the e first; though  both are tyran
nnical and oppressive. In the 
first tyype of kingdomm, authority is e
exercised overr the people byy way of whipp ping, torturing and crude 
punish hment. This is w
why it is expressed with the use of word ‫ض‬ ‫عض‬, which meaans to bite, i.e. literally 
inflictiing physical harm. In the secoond type, however, the wordd used indicatees subjugation and 
enslavvement of the ccitizenry (Ibn aal‐Athīr). This m
may be achieveed by the use o of physical tortture or by otheer 
meanss. The citizenryy may be aware e of their beingg overpoweredd, enslaved and subjugated, or may not be 
aware e of it; and might even be deluded into thinking that they  are free, as is the case in preesent‐day  
democcracies. And Alllāh knows besst. 
 ‫ٔاﺧﺮج اﻟﻄﱪاﱐ ﻣﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻖ ﻗﻴﺲ ﺑﻦ ﺟﺎﺑﺮ اﻟﺼﺪﰲ ﻋﻦ ٔاﺑﻴﻪ ﻋﻦ ﺟﺪﻩ رﻓﻌﻪ ﺳـﻴﻜﻮن ﻣﻦ ﺑﻌﺪي ﺧﻠﻔﺎء ﰒ ﻣﻦ ﺑﻌﺪ اﳋﻠﻔﺎء اﻣﺮاء وﻣﻦ‬
‫ﺑﻌﺪ ا ٔﻻﻣﺮاء ﻣﻠﻮك وﻣﻦ ﺑﻌﺪ اﳌﻠﻮك ﺟﺒﺎﺑﺮة ﰒ ﳜﺮج رﺟﻞ ﻣﻦ ٔاﻫﻞ ﺑﻴﱵ ﳝ ٔﻼ ا ٔﻻرض ﻋﺪﻻ ﻛﲈ ﻣﻠﺌﺖ ﺟﻮرا‬

Al-Imām al-Ṭabarānī [d. 360 H] collected, by of Qais Ibn Jābir from his father, from
grandfather, that the Prophet k said:
“There will be after me caliphs; then after the caliphs, emirs; then after the emirs, kings,
then after the kings, oppressive dictators. Then there shall emerge a man from my
household, who will fill the Earth with justice, as it was filled with oppression.”

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