Adhering to the Sunnah and the Rightly-Guided Caliphs: Hadith 28

He (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

The Twenty-Eighth Hadith.

On the authority of Abu Najih al-Irbad bin Sariyah (RA),

who said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us a sermon

by which hearts were filled with fear and eyes shed tears.

So we said: 'O Messenger of Allah! It is as though it were a farewell sermon,

so advise us.' He said: 'I advise you to fear Allah, the Mighty and Sublime,

and to listen and obey, even if a slave is appointed over you.

For indeed, whoever among you lives will see much discord.

So adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided, guided caliphs.

Bite onto it with your molars, and beware of newly-invented matters,

for every bid'ah is misguidance.'

Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi,

and al-Tirmidhi said: 'It is a Hasan Sahih Hadith.'

Yes, this Hadith is a very great Hadith,

and in it is the well-being of people in their religion and worldly life,

and in it are a number of comprehensive words,

the first of which is when the Prophet ﷺ said: "I enjoin you to fear Allah ﷻ,"

and this we have already covered.

The exhortation to fear Allah ﷻ must be constant for the servant.

He said, 'And to hear and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave is appointed over you.'

This statement indicates a great principle of Sharia,

by adhering to which the interests of the Ummah and its livelihood are maintained.

Therefore, some of the later scholars of Maqasid, such as Ibn Ashur,

said that the five objectives of Sharia mentioned by the scholars,

and the sixth, which is the Sharia's objective

of preserving the order of the Ummah's interests.

To preserve this universal objective, successive Hadiths came regarding two matters:

adhering to the congregation, and hearing and obeying

whoever Allah ﷻ has put in charge of the Muslims.

Through these two matters, this important objective of Sharia is achieved,

which was explained by the Prophet ﷺ.

And his saying: 'So adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided Caliphs;

bite onto it with your molars.'

This points us to a matter that is a fundamental principle of Sharia, which is following,

as following has a broader meaning than referencing,

For what the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ were upon,

especially during the era of the four Caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali,

is of the utmost importance,

to the extent that Ahmad said in one of his narrations

that what the four Caliphs agreed upon is a binding proof,

it is a binding proof that cannot be opposed.

Accordingly, whatever was in the first era, in the era of the Caliphs (RA),

then whoever follows their way, their Sunnah, and their guidance in their path — he is in goodness and success.

And in contrast to that is what we covered,

the Prophet's ﷺ saying: 'Beware of newly invented matters, for every innovation is misguidance.'

And it has been reported that 'Umar (RA) used to say that in the Friday sermon. Yes.