Tarikh (al-Tabari) 405
the accounts of past peoples from the Israelites and others
قَالَ الْبُخَارِيُّ بسنده عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ ؓ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا أَجَلُكُمْ فِي أَجَلِ مَنْ خَلَا مِنَ الْأُمَمِ مَا بَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ، وَإِنَّمَا مَثَلُكُمْ وَمِثْلُ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى، كَرَجُلٍ اسْتَعْمَلَ عُمَّالًا فَقَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ ؟ فَعَمِلَتِ الْيَهُودُ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ إِلَى صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ ؟ فَعَمِلَتِ النَّصَارَى مِنْ نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ إِلَى صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ عَلَى قِيرَاطٍ قِيرَاطٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنْ يَعْمَلُ لِي مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ عَلَى قِيرَاطَيْنِ قِيرَاطَيْنِ ؟ أَلَا فَأَنْتُمُ الَّذِينَ تَعْمَلُونَ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ عَلَى قِيرَاطَيْنِ قِيرَاطَيْنِ، أَلَا لَكُمُ الْأَجْرُ مَرَّتَيْنِ. فَغَضِبَ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى فَقَالُوا: نَحْنُ أَكْثَرُ عَمَلًا وَأَقَلُّ عَطَاءً ! قَالَ اللَّهُ: هَلْ ظَلَمْتُكُمْ مِنْ حَقِّكُمْ شَيْئًا ؟ قَالُوا: لَا. قَالَ: فَإِنَّهُ فَضْلِي أُوتِيهِ مَنْ شِئْتُ. وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيهِ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى أَنَّ مُدَّةَ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ قَصِيرَةٌ، بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى مَا مَضَى مِنْ مُدَدِ الْأُمَمِ قَبْلَهَا; لِقَوْلِهِ إِنَّمَا أَجَلُكُمْ فِي أَجَلِ مَنْ خَلَا مِنَ الْأُمَمِ مَا بَيْنَ صَلَاةِ الْعَصْرِ إِلَى مَغْرِبِ الشَّمْسِ. فَالْمَاضِي لَا يَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا اللَّهُ كَمَا أَنَّ الْآتِيَ لَا يَعْلَمُهُ إِلَّا هُوَ، وَلَكِنَّهُ قَصِيرٌ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى مَا سَبَقَ، وَلَا اطِّلَاعَ لِأَحَدٍ عَلَى تَحْدِيدِ مَا بَقِيَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَا يُجَلِّيهَا لِوَقْتِهَا إِلَّا هُوَ [ الْأَعْرَافِ: 187 ] وَقَالَ يَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ السَّاعَةِ أَيَّانَ مُرْسَاهَا فِيمَ أَنْتَ مِنْ ذِكْرَاهَا إِلَى رَبِّكَ مُنْتَهَاهَا [ النَّازِعَاتِ: 42 - 44 ] وَمَا يَذْكُرُهُ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ الْمَشْهُورِ عِنْدَ الْعَامَّةِ مِنْ أَنَّهُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَا يُؤَلَّفُ تَحْتَ الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ أَصْلٌ فِي كُتُبِ الْحَدِيثِ، وَوَرَدَ فِيهِ حَدِيثٌ إِنَّ الدُّنْيَا جُمُعَةٌ مِنْ جُمَعِ الْآخِرَةِ وَفِي صِحَّتِهِ نَظَرٌ. وَالْمُرَادُ مِنْ هَذَا التَّشْبِيهِ بِالْعُمَّالِ تَفَاوُتُ أُجُورِهِمْ، وَأَنَّ ذَلِكَ لَيْسَ مَنُوطًا بِكَثْرَةِ الْعَمَلِ وَلَا قِلَّتِهِ، بَلْ بِأُمُورٍ أُخَرَ مُعْتَبَرَةٍ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَكَمْ مِنْ عَمَلٍ قَلِيلٍ أَجْدَى مَا لَا يُجْدِيهِ الْعَمَلُ الْكَثِيرُ ; هَذِهِ لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ الْعَمَلُ فِيهَا أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ سِوَاهَا، وَهَؤُلَاءِ أَصْحَابُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ أَنْفَقُوا فِي أَوْقَاتٍ لَوْ أَنْفَقَ غَيْرُهُمْ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ مَا بَلَغَ مُدَّ أَحَدِهِمْ وَلَا نَصِيفَهُ مِنْ تَمْرٍ. وَهَذَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَعَثَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَأْسِ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً مِنْ عُمُرِهِ، وَقَبَضَهُ وَهُوَ ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ وَسِتِّينَ عَلَى الْمَشْهُورِ وَقَدْ بَرَزَ فِي هَذِهِ الْمُدَّةِ - الَّتِي هِيَ ثَلَاثٌ وَعِشْرُونَ سَنَةً - فِي الْعُلُومِ النَّافِعَةِ وَالْأَعْمَالِ الصَّالِحَةِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ قَبْلَهُ، حَتَّى عَلَى نُوحٍ الَّذِي لَبِثَ فِي قَوْمِهِ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا يَدْعُوهُمْ إِلَى عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَيَعْمَلُ بِطَاعَةِ اللَّهِ لَيْلًا وَنَهَارًا صَبَاحًا وَمَسَاءً صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى سَائِرِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ أَجْمَعِينَ. فَهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ إِنَّمَا شَرُفَتْ وَتَضَاعَفَ ثَوَابُهَا بِبَرَكَةِ سِيَادَةِ نَبِيِّهَا وَشَرَفِهِ وَعَظَمَتِهِ، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَآمِنُوا بِرَسُولِهِ يُؤْتِكُمْ كِفْلَيْنِ مِنْ رَحْمَتِهِ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ نُورًا تَمْشُونَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ لِئَلَّا يَعْلَمَ أَهْلُ الْكِتَابِ أَلَّا يَقْدِرُونَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَأَنَّ الْفَضْلَ بِيَدِ اللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهِ ذُو الْفَضْلِ الْعَظِيمِ. [ الْحَدِيدِ: 28، 29 ] فضل الأمة المحمدية فَضْلِ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ: " إِنَّكُمْ تُوَفُّونَ سَبْعِينَ أُمَّةً، أَنْتُمْ خَيْرُهَا وَأَكْرَمُهَا عَلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى "
Translation
✧ Al-Bukhārī said with his chain of transmission on the authority of Ibn ʿUmar ؓ, from the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ, who said: “Your appointed term is only in relation to the term of the nations that have passed away: it is like what is between the ʿAṣr prayer and sunset. Indeed, your likeness and the likeness of the Jews and the Christians is that of a man who employed laborers and said: ‘Who will work for me until midday for one qīrāṭ, one qīrāṭ?’ So the Jews worked until midday for one qīrāṭ, one qīrāṭ. Then he said: ‘Who will work for me from midday until the ʿAṣr prayer for one qīrāṭ, one qīrāṭ?’ So the Christians worked from midday until the ʿAṣr prayer for one qīrāṭ, one qīrāṭ. Then he said: ‘Who will work for me from the ʿAṣr prayer until sunset for two qīrāṭs, two qīrāṭs?’ Indeed, you are the ones who work from the ʿAṣr prayer until sunset for two qīrāṭs, two qīrāṭs. Indeed, for you is the reward twice over.” So the Jews and the Christians became angry and said: “We did more work but received less pay!” Allāh said: “Have I wronged you of anything of your due?” They said: “No.” He said: “Then it is My bounty which I give to whomever I will.” This ḥadīth provides evidence that the duration of this community is short in comparison with the durations of the communities that preceded it, because of his saying: “Your appointed term is only in relation to the term of the nations that have passed away: it is like what is between the ʿAṣr prayer and sunset.” For the past no one knows except Allāh, just as the future no one knows except Him, but it is short in relation to what has preceded, and no one has any knowledge of determining what remains except Allāh, Mighty and Majestic, as Allāh, Exalted, said: “None shall reveal it at its proper time but He” [Al-Aʿrāf: 187]. And He said: “They ask you about the Hour, when will be its anchorage? In what are you of its remembrance? To your Lord is its ultimate end” [Al-Nāziʿāt: 42–44]. As for what some people mention of the famous ḥadīth among the common folk that he ﷺ will not be composed under the earth, it has no basis in the books of ḥadīth. A ḥadīth has been reported concerning it: “The world is one Friday of the Fridays of the Hereafter,” but its authenticity is questionable. The intended meaning of this similitude with the laborers is the disparity in their wages, and that this is not tied to the abundance or scarcity of work, but rather to other matters deemed significant by Allāh, Exalted. How many a small deed avails what abundant deeds do not avail! This is the Night of Qadr: the deed in it is better than worship for a thousand months besides it. And these are the Companions of Muḥammad ﷺ: they spent at times when, if others had spent gold the size of Uḥud, it would not reach the measure of a mudd of one of them or even half of it of dates. And this is the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ: Allāh sent him at the beginning of forty years of his life, and took him away while he was sixty-three years old, according to the well-known view. In this period—which was twenty-three years—he excelled in beneficial sciences and righteous deeds beyond all the prophets before him, even beyond Nūḥ, who remained among his people for a thousand years less fifty, calling them to worship Allāh alone without partner, and worked in obedience to Allāh night and day, morning and evening. May the prayers of Allāh and His ﷺ and upon all the prophets collectively. For this community was honored and its reward multiplied by the blessing of the leadership of its Prophet, his nobility, and his greatness, just as Allāh, Exalted, said: “O you who believe, fear Allāh and believe in His Messenger; He will give you a double share of His mercy and will appoint for you a light by which you will walk and will forgive you; and Allāh is Forgiving, Merciful. That the People of the Book may know that they have no power over anything of the bounty of Allāh, and that bounty is in the hand of Allāh; He gives it to whom He wills; and Allāh is of tremendous bounty.” [Al-Ḥadīd: 28–29]. The excellence of the Muḥammadan community, the excellence of this community: From Muʿāwiyah, from his father, from his grandfather, from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: “You will complete seventy nations; you are the best of them and the most honored of them before Allāh, Exalted.”
Grades by grader
No grade is recorded for this wording.