By Imam Murtadha Gusau
Sunday, 18/08/2024
In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
All Praises And Thanks be to Allah, and peace and salutations be upon The Messenger of Allah, his noble household, his companions and all those who follow him with excellence till The Day of Judgement.
Dear brothers and sisters! Abu Hurairah reported: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:
“Islam began as a something strange and it will return to being strange, so blessed are the strangers.” [Muslim]
Now let’s go back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). When He (Peace be upon him) started calling the people of Quraish towards Islam and truth, they found it strange. They called him a mad man and lots of other offensive names for introducing a strange practice. Those who answered his call and became Muslims became strangers. Many of us might understand how Islam began as something strange. However, it might be hard to comprehend how it will return as something strange. Moreover, there are lots of books, hadith, fiqh, sirahs, and tafsirs and so on. So how can Islam become strange after it’s been spread around the world?
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was once asked:
“O Messenger! Who are the strangers?” He replied: “Those who perform good deeds while others make mischief.”
We can relate this Hadith to what’s happening these days. For example, when we see a young Muslim sister observing the Hijab or a young Muslim guy keeping the beard, we find it strange. But that’s part of Islam. Why is it strange to us? Sometimes you narrate a Hadith to a Muslim or a group of Muslims and they all give you strange looks as if your words are from Mars. Do we still wonder how Islam will return as something strange?
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“There will come a time when holding on to faith and the truth will be like holding on to hot coal.”
Sorry to break this bad news to you but we have reached the time. A Muslim striving hard to hold on to his faith, a Muslim who practices Islam becomes an outcast, a STRANGER even within the Muslim community. This is so sad and disheartening. I want to take a moment to reach out to Muslims out there who are struggling to hold on to the teachings of Islam and the Sunnah of Prophet (Peace be upon him). If you observe the Hijab or Niqab and people tease you or give you strange looks, remember this Hadith. If you are struggling to keep a beard as it is in the Sunnah and people tease you, do not despair! If you recite the Qur’an, follow its teachings, follow the Hadith, have patience during hard times, enjoin good and forbid bad, do your Zikr, have Taqwah (Consciousness of Allah), say the truth and people look down on you, do not despair! Remember this Hadith.
The Ulamas (Scholars) said:
“Towards the end of time there will be those who hold fast to the religion of Allah while others fall by the wayside. When disbelief, disobedience, and evil increase, these strangers will remain obedient to Allah and His religion. They will be granted Paradise and Happiness with a goodly reward in this life and the Hereafter.”
O You Strangers! Whenever you face any challenge in life while striving hard to attain paradise (Jannah), remember this Hadith. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“…blessed are the strangers.”
Do not despair! For the words of the Messenger (Peace be upon him) are true and the promise of Allah is true. Keep striving to be better Muslims and to please Allah alone. By Allah’s will, you shall receive your rewards.
Every Muslim should strive to become a stranger, for the life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception, and every soul shall taste death. No one knows when they will take their last breath. It could be today, tomorrow or years to come. May Allah keep us steadfast on the religion and the truth, ameen.
“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.”
Many times in many situations the people that follow the religion of Allah feel a sense of not belonging, of being out of place, of not fitting in, and, in other words, of being strange. This feeling could occur in a gathering of non-Muslims, but, unfortunately, this feeling sometimes also occurs when one is with his fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.
A person sees his brothers and sisters doing acts that are contrary to Islam, or the acts of corruption, or taking part in innovations that sometimes even border on kufr (apostasy), yet he feels that he does not have enough power or courage to stop them in these acts. Some brothers and sisters, especially if they do not have enough taqwah or Islamic knowledge, sometimes buckle under the pressure of their peers and join in these acts, knowing that this is not what Allah wants them to do. However, feeling helpless, since it seems that they are alone in their ideas and without any support to help them do what is right, they succumb to such pressures.
These brothers and sisters, may Allah have mercy on them, should take consolation in the verses of the Qur’an and the many statements of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) describing this very situation of strangeness that they feel.
Why Have They Been Called “Strangers”?
Allah says in the Qur’an:
“If only there had been, in the generations preceding you, people having wisdom, prohibiting others from evil in the earth; except a few of those whom we have saved from among them.” [Qur’an, Hud: 116]
This Qur’anic verse speaks of the few people on earth, the “strangers”, who prohibit mankind from evil. These are the same people the Prophet (Peace be upon him) spoke about when he said:
“Islam began as something strange, and it shall return to being something strange, so give glad tidings to the strangers.” It was asked, “Who are those strangers, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Those that correct the people when they become corrupt.” [Reported by Abu Amr al-Dani, from the Hadith of Ibn Mas’ud. It is authentic according to al-Albani]
Another narration says:
“Those that correct my Sunnah which has been corrupted by the people after me.”
In another narration he said in response to the same question:
“They are a small group of people among a large evil population. Those who oppose them are more than those who follow them.” [Reported by Ibn Asakir. It is authentic according to al-Albani]
These praiseworthy people are called strangers since they are a small minority among mankind. Thus, Muslims are strangers among mankind; the true believers are strangers among Muslims; and the scholars of Allah are strangers among the true believers. And the followers of the Sunnah, those that clear themselves from all peoples of innovation, from all peoples of evil and corruption are likewise strangers.
In reality, however, their strangeness is only because they are the minority and it is not because their actions and beliefs are strange. This is what Allah says in surah al-An’am:
“And if you obey most of the people on Earth, they will lead you astray.” [Qur’an, Al-An’am: 116]
Allah Almighty also says:
“And most of mankind will not believe, even if you (O Muhammad) desire it eagerly.” [Qur’an, Yusuf: 103]
And,
“And truly, most of mankind are rebellious and disobedient (to Allah).” [Qur’an, al-Maidah: 49]
And He the Most High says:
“But nay, most of mankind are ungrateful.” [Qur’an, Yusuf: 38]
Therefore, Allah, the All-Knowing Creator, knows the most of mankind will not follow the truth. Instead, only a small group of people will be set apart that truly and correctly believe in Him, the strangers from among mankind.
The strangers in belief, however, and the strangers in character and actions are in reality the majority of mankind, for they are strange to Islam and to the laws that Allah has revealed. Thus we see that there are various types of strangeness, of which some are praiseworthy, some are blameworthy and some are either praiseworthy or blameworthy. We will discuss these various categories separately below.
You should know, may Allah have mercy upon you, that strangeness is of three types:
The first type of strangeness is the strangeness of the People of Allah and the People of His Messenger (Peace be upon him), which we mentioned previously. This strangeness is a praiseworthy strangeness, as it has been praised by Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him). Therefore, this kind of strangeness should be sought and its people must be supported. This strangeness occurs in different times, in different places, and among different peoples. These strangers, then, are the true “People of Allah” for they do not worship ought save Him, and they do not take support from any path except the path of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and they do not call to anything except that which has been brought by the Prophet (Peace be upon him). These are the people who left mankind when they (the strangers) were in need of them the most. For, on the Day of Judgment, when all other groups will go with that which they used to worship, they will stay in their places. It will be said to them:
“Will you not go as the other people have gone?” They will answer, “We had abandoned the people (in this life), and we were more in need of them then we are today, and we will wait for our Lord whom we used to worship.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Thus it is apparent that this strangeness does not cause its bearer any discontent. Rather it is a comforting strangeness, a solace to the believers. This is because he knows that his helpers are Allah, His Messenger and those who sincerely believe, even if all of mankind left and abandoned him.
These strangers are again described in a Hadith narrated by Anas Ibn Malik, in which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“It is possible that a disheveled, dusty person, with not many belongings, who is not noticed among the people, if he asks of Allah, Allah will fulfil his prayer.” [at-Tirmidhi and al-Hakim. Al-Albani said it is authentic]
Al-Hasan al-Basri [a very famous Follower – tabi‘ – known for his piety, asceticism and knowledge] said:
“A believer is a stranger in this world, he is never afraid of its humiliation, and he never competes for its glory. The people are in one situation and he is in a different situation. The people are content with him, yet he is in turmoil with himself.”
From the characteristics of these strangers that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) described is the holding on to the Sunnah of the Messenger (Peace be upon him), even if the people abandon it. They, the strangers, leave all the innovations that their people invent, even if such practices should be common among them. They also stick to tawhid, even if the people corrupt it with shirk. They do not ascribe themselves to anything besides Allah and His Prophet (Peace be upon him); they do not, that is, ascribe themselves to any sect, group, organisation, shaikh, tariqah, Imam, particular madhhab or a group of people. They are dedicated only to Allah, with their sincere worship of Him and Him alone, and to His Prophet (Peace be upon him), by following the path that he followed. These are the people who grasp the glowing hot embers, even though most of mankind – nay, all of them – blame them for this. This is the meaning of the statements of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) alluding to the fact that they stick to his Sunnah, even if the people corrupt it.
Allah, all praise be to Him, sent His Prophet (Peace be upon him) when mankind followed different religions, for there were those who worshipped rivers and trees, and there were those who worshipped idols, and there were Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians. Islam, when it first appeared among these people, was strange to them. If a person from among them accepted Islam and followed the call of Allah and His Prophet (Peace be upon him), he would be shunned by his people, his family and his tribe. He would live the life of a stranger among his people. Eventually, however, Islam spread far and wide. The Muslims became stronger and stronger, so much so that the strangers were those that did not accept the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).
But, alas, Shaitan (Satan) deceived mankind again. People took to the ways that their forefathers, who had accepted Islam, had abandoned until, finally, Islam became strange again, just like it had started and just like the Prophet (Peace be upon him) had foretold. Nay, indeed, rather the true Islam – that which the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his Companions were following has become even stranger to the people then when it initially appeared, even though its outward signs and external relics are well known and widespread.
How can it not be so, when these strangers are only one group among seventy-two others, each of which follows its own desires and takes its passions as gods?
Those are the groups that base their teachings on doubts and innovations and whose sole purpose is the gratification of their own desires. Thus, the group whose goal is to achieve the pleasure of Allah by following the path of His Messenger (Peace be upon him) will be the strange one among all of the other groups. This is why the true Muslims – those that adamantly cling to the Sunnah – will have the reward of fifty Companions. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was asked about the following Qur’anic verse:
“O you who believe! Take care of your own selves. If you follow right guidance, no harm can come to you from those who err.” [Qur’an, al-Maidah: 105]
He said:
“Nay indeed, order good and forbid evil until you see stinginess being obeyed, and desires being followed, and this world preferred [over the next], and each person being deluded by his own opinions. Then take care of yourself and leave the common people. For indeed, after you there will be days of patience, where patience will be like holding on to glowing embers. Whoever is able to do this will have the reward of fifty people that do like him.” They asked, “O Messenger of Allah, the reward of fifty of them?” He replied, “The reward of fifty of you.” [al-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud with a weak chain but it has supporting evidence. Al-Albani calls it Sahih. See al-Sahihah, no. 957]
This reward is due to his strangeness among the people.
So, if the believer whom Allah has blessed with wisdom and knowledge wants to tread upon this path, the path of Allah, then let him be prepared to resign himself to the life of a stranger among his people, just like his predecessors who accepted Islam were treated by the people. For indeed, he will be a stranger in his beliefs, because his people have corrupted their beliefs. He will be a stranger in his religion, due to what the people have done to it. He will be a stranger in his manner of praying, because the people are ignorant of the prayer of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). He will be a stranger in his ordering of good and prohibiting evil, for the people have taken what is evil as good and they have abandoned what is good as evil. In short, then, he will be a stranger in all his matters of this world and the Hereafter, calling to the path of Allah and withstanding the harm of all those that go against him.
Imam al-Ajurri (rahimahullah) said:
“Whoever wishes to attain the levels of the strangers, let him bear with patience the harm he will meet from his parents, his spouse, his Muslim brothers and sisters, and his relatives.
If one were to ask, ‘How can they harm me seeing as I am beloved to them and they to me?
It is said in reply:
“You have opposed them in their love of this world and their great desire for it. They, in order to attain this world, do not care what they lose of their religion; if you follow them in this, they will love you; if you oppose them and instead traverse the path to the hereafter by following the truth, they will behave coarsely towards you.
Your parents will be pained and angry at your actions, your spouse will vexed at you and seek separation and your Muslim brothers and sisters and relatives will rarely meet you.” [See Al-Ghurabah, of Imam Al-Ajurri]
As for the second type of strangeness, then know, O dear brothers and sisters, that this strangeness is the blameworthy strangeness, for its people are the evil sinners, the ignorant and the arrogant of mankind. Their strangeness is due to their refusal to follow the correct and straight path of Allah. This strangeness is the strangeness of not conforming to the religion of Islam and, as such, it will remain strange even if its followers are numerous, its power is strong and its existence is widespread. These are the strangers to Allah. May Allah keep us from becoming one of them.
The third category of strangeness is, in essence, neither praiseworthy or blameworthy. It is the strangeness that a traveler experiences when he travels to a different country, like a person who lives in a place for a short period of time, knowing that he has to move on. One aspect of this strangeness is that all of us, whether we realise it or not, are strangers in this world, for we will all go one day to our permanent abode in the Hereafter. This is the meaning of the Hadith of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) when he told Abdullah Ibn Umar:
“Live in this world as though you are a stranger or a wayfarer.”
Thus, this category of strangeness has the potential to become a praiseworthy strangeness if we realise the meaning of this statement of Allah’s Messenger (Peace be upon him).
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) stated:
Ahead of you are days of patience, when holding onto the religion will be like holding onto hot coals, and whomsoever holds onto His religion in that time, then his reward will be the reward of fifty men.” The Companions said, “O Messenger of Allah, fifty times the worth of their reward?” He said, “Rather fifty from you.” [Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim who declared it authentic, Adh-Dhahabi agreed and Al-Albani declared it Sahih in As-Sahihah, no. 494]
I pray that Allah bless us to be sincere and true Muslims, knowledgeable and pious, and that He forgive us our sins and bless us with His Mercy. Glorified be your Lord, the Lord of Honour and Power! (He is free) from what they attribute to Him And Peace be on the Messengers. And all Praise and thanks be to the Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. May the peace, blessings and salutations of Allah be upon our noble Messenger, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), and upon his family, his Companions and his true followers.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of: Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah Mosque; and Late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene Mosque, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com; or +2348038289761.