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 “Hasan”2 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
Ḥajr 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”.
Source:
