From the Benefits of Hijra
By
Shaykh Muhammad Nasir udeen Al-Albaani
Translated
By
Abbas Abu Yahya
Musa ibn Ali bin Rabah said I heard my father saying:
‘I went to perform Hajj and Sulayman bin Anaz – the judge of Misr- said to me:
‘Convey my Salam to Abu Hurairah, and let him know that I have indeed sought forgiveness for him and his mother earlier this morning.’
So, I met him and informed of that.
Abu Hurairah said: ‘And indeed I have also sought forgiveness for him.’
Then Abu Hurairah said: ‘How was Umm Hanu [meaning the area of Misr] when you left it?’
Ali bin Rabah said: ‘I told him of the luxury, comfort and of living there.’
Abu Hurairah said: ‘Is it not that it will be the first of the lands to be destroyed and then Armenia?’
I asked: ‘Did you hear this from the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam?’
He said: ‘No, however, Abdullaah bin Amr bin Al-Aas -RadhiAllaahu anu- narrated to me, that he said: I heard the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam: say:
سَتَكُونُ هِجْرَةٌ بَعْدَ هِجْرَةٍ، فَخِيَارُ أَهْلِ الأَرْضِ أَلْزَمُهُمْ مُهَاجَر
إِبْرَاهِيم، وَيَبْقَى فِى الأَرْضِ شِرَارُ أَهْلِهَا تَلْفِظُهُمْ أَرضُوهُمْ، تَقْذرُهُمْ نَفْسُ اللَّهِ، وَتَحْشُرُهُمُ النَّارُ مَعَ الْقِرَدَةِ وَالْخَنَازِيرِ
‘There will continue to be a Hijra (Migration) after a Hijra, and the best of the people of a land will be those who adhere to migrating to where Ibraheem migrated to, (meaning the area of Shaam).
Those who remain on the earth will be the evil people due to their attachment to that land, they will be thrown from one part of their land to the other end. Allaah will hate them to Himself and the fire will gather around them with the apes and pigs.’
[Collected by Abu Dawood, al-Hakim, AbduRazzaq, Ahmad, Abu Na’eem in ‘al-Hileeyah’, Ibn Aasaakir in ‘Tareekh Damishq’ and graded it as authentic due to its supporting narrations by Al-Albaani.]
Shaykh Al-Albaani commented after researching the Hadeeth, saying:
Shaykh ul Islaam Ibn Taymeeyah was assertive in ascribing this hadeeth to the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam – in more than one place in his Fatawa, see p.41,44,509, from volume seven of ‘Majmoo al-Fatawa’. He said on the last page of the above-mentioned references, in a chapter which he compiled about the virtues of Shaam and its people:
‘This hadeeth is glad-tidings for our companions who migrated from Hiraan (in Iraq) and other places to the place of the migration of Ibraheem. They followed the way of Ibraheem and the Deen of their Prophet Muhammad -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam.
There is an explanation in this Hadeeth that the Hijra of the people later would be equivalent to the Hijra of the Companions of the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam– to Madinah. This is because the Hijra was to where the Messenger used to be and his remnants, and the migration of Ibraheem is equivalent for us to the migration of our Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam, since the Hijra was discontinued with the victory of Makkah.’
Shaykh Al-Albaani continued:
‘With this opportunity it is a right upon me to say – as a declaration for history and gratitude to my father – may Allaah have mercy upon him. Likewise, there is glad tidings for us – the family of my father- in this hadeeth. My father made Hijra with his family from the city of Ashkodera, the capital of Albania at that time. He did so, escaping with his religion from the revolution of Ahmed Zughu, whose heart Allaah caused to deviate.
He began steering the Muslims of Albania on the same track as of his predecessor Ataturk with what he did with the Turks.
By the virtue of Allaah and His Mercy – I profited so much by my father’s Hijra to Damascus in Shaam[1], that I am incapable of fulfilling for my Lord, the obligation of thanking Him, even if I live the life time of Nuh – alayhi as-Salat wa Salam.
In reality, I firstly learnt Arabic with the Syrian dialect, then secondly, classical Arabic. This was the matter which strengthened me to learn the correct Aqeedah, which most of the Arabs around me were ignorant of – let alone my family and the people except for a few of them.
Then, Allaah gave me the capability -with His Virtue and Generosity without any instruction from anyone- of the study of Hadeeth and the Sunnah in its principles and Fiqh. This was after I had studied with my father and other shaykhs some Hanafi Fiqh and what is known as Uloom al-Alaa (Sciences of Islaam), like Arabic grammar, verb morphology and Arabic composition and literature, and this is after I had graduated from primary school called ‘al-Is’aaf al-Khairi’.
I began calling those around me from my brothers and companions to correct the Aqeedah, and to leave being biased to a Madhab. I warned them against the weak and fabricated Ahadeeth. Likewise, I would encourage them and those learned ones among them, to revive the authentic Sunnahs which had died out.
From those Sunnahs was establishing the two Eid prayers in an open prayer area in Damascus, then our brothers revived it in a place called Halab then also in other cities of Syria.
This Sunnah continued spreading until some of our brothers revived it in Amman, Jordan as well.
Furthermore, I warned people against building Masajid upon graves and praying there. I authored my book regarding this, entitled ‘Tadheer as-Sajid min iteekadh al-Qaboor Masajid’ (warning the one who prostrates from taking graves as places of prayer).
I surprised my people and my new country with that which they had not heard before.
I stopped praying in masjid al-Umawi at the time when some of my relatives would go to pray there, because they claimed that the grave of the Prophet Yahya was in the Masjid.
I received in the path of Dawa – from relatives and those further away- what every caller to the truth faces, but was never afraid of the blame of those who blame.
I also authored some books about some of the biased ignorant people. I was imprisoned twice due to them slandering to the nationalistic and Bathi rulers. This was also due to me saying clearly to some of them, when I was questioned that I do not support the current establishment because it opposes Islaam, and that was good for me and a reason for the spread of my Dawa.
Allaah made it easy for me to go out for Dawa to Tawheed and Sunnah to many of places in Syria and the Arab -lands, then on to some of the areas of Europe.
This was, focusing upon the fact that there is no success for the Muslims with what they had been harmed with from colonialism, subjugation and weakness, as well as, that there is no benefit from ‘Islaamic’ amassing of people and political parties except with adherence to the Sunnah Saheehah and upon the Manhaj of the Salaf as-Salih – RadhiAllaahu anhum- and not what those who oppose the Salaf are upon nowadays – whether it is in Aqeeda, Fiqh and manners- so Allaah causes to benefit what He wants and who He wants from His righteous worshippers.
This becomes very clear in their Aqeedah and worship, in how they build their Masajid, in the way they carry themselves, and their dress.
This is from what every just scholar testifies to, and no one rejects it except every envious or deviant person.
Similarly, from what I hope, is that Allaah will forgive for me my sins due to the Dawa, and that He writes the reward of that for my father and mother.
All praise belongs to Allaah by whose blessings righteous deeds are completed.
《My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves.》
My Lord 《and make my off-spring good. Truly, I have turned to You in repentance, and truly, I am one of the Muslims (submitting to Your Will).》
[From ‘Silsilah Saheehah’ no. 3203]
[1] Shaam – Syria, Palestine, Lebanon area.