Sunday, January 20, 2013

The Ill Effects of Storytelling

بـسـم الله والحـمـد لله والـصلاة والـسـلام عــلى رسـول الله، وبـعـد

When the storytellers (e.g. Tableeghi Jamaat) are more and Hadeeth narrators are few...then know that it is the sign of beginning of our destruction. We ask Allaah for our safety and well-being. 

It was related by Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt رضي الله عنه1 that the Messenger of Allaah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:

إن بني إسرائيل لما هلكوا قصوا

“When Banoo Israa’eel fell into ruin, they began to tell stories.”

[al-Tabaraanee in al-Mu`jam al-Kabeer (7305) and Abu Nu`aim in al-Hilya (4/362) and graded as “Hasan2 by Shaikh al-Albaanee in al-Saheehah (1681) and in Jami` al-Sagheer (2045)]

al-Muhaddith Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaanee رحمه الله says in al-Saheehah (1681): He (i.e. Ibn Atheer) says in al-Nihaayah: ‘(When they fell into ruin, they began to tell stories) i.e. they relied upon speech and left off action; so this was the cause of their ruination, or, conversely, when they fell into ruin, they left off action and inclined toward storytelling.’

I say (i.e. al-Albaanee): It could be said that the reason for their ruination was the concern of their preachers with telling stories and tales without [imparting] Fiqh and beneficial knowledge that instructs the people in their religion, causing them to do righteous deeds. So when they fell into that (i.e. focus on storytelling), they were ruined. And this is the circumstance of many of the storytellers of our time, who the greater portion of their exhortations concern reports of Banoo Israa’eel, heart softening stories and Soofee legends. We ask Allaah for our well-being.


[1] Ibn ajr رحمه الله mentions: “He is Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt al-Tameemee, Aboo `Abdallaah; he was from the first of those who accepted Islaam, and he suffered hardship for the Sake of Allaah. He was present at Badr and later settled in Koofah; he died there in the year 37H.

[2] Others who have authenticated this Hadeeth are:
- Al-Haithamee said in al-Majma` al-Zawaa’id (1/189): This was reported by al-Tabaraanee and its narrators are trustworthy, except that they differed about al-Ajlih al-Kindee but most of them hold him reliable.

- `Abdul-Haqq al-Ishbeelee said in al-Ahkaam: It is reported by al-Bazzaar from the Hadeeth of Shareek Ibn `Abdullaah and its chain is “Hasan”.

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