أنَّ يَزيدَ بنَ عَميرةَ - وكان من أصحابِ مُعاذِ بنِ جَبَلٍ - أخبَرَه، قال: كان لا يجلس مجلسًا للذكر حين يجلس إلا قال: اللهُ حكمٌ قسطٌ، هلك المرتابون.
Yazīd ibn ʿUmayrah, who was one of the companions of Muʿādh ibn Jabal, informed me and said:
Muʿādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) never sat in a gathering of remembrance (dhikr) except that he would say:
“Allah is the Judge, Just and Fair. Those who doubt are doomed.”
فقال معاذُ بنُ جبلٍ يومًا: إنَّ من ورائكم فتنًا يكثر فيها المالُ، ويفتح فيها القرآنُ حتى يأخذه المؤمنُ والمنافقُ، والرجل والمرأة، والصغير والكبير، والعبد والحر.
Then Muʿādh ibn Jabal once said:
“Indeed, after you will come trials (fitan) during which wealth will become abundant and the Qur’ān will be opened (i.e., widespread in recitation and access) – until it is taken up (i.e., recited or memorized) by the believer and the hypocrite, the man and the woman, the young and the old, the slave and the free person.”
فيوشك قائلٌ أن يقول: ما للناس لا يتبعوني وقد قرأتُ القرآن؟ ما هم بمتَّبعي حتى أبتدعَ لهم غيرَه.
“Then it is near that a person will say:
‘What is wrong with the people that they do not follow me, when I have recited the Qur’ān?
They will not follow me until I innovate something else for them!’”
فإياكم وما ابتدعَ، فإنَّ ما ابتدع ضلالةٌ.
“So beware of what is innovated! For whatever is innovated is misguidance.”
وأحذركم زيغةَ الحكيمِ؛ فإنِّ الشيطانَ قد يقول كلمة الضلالةِ على لسانِ الحكيمِ، وقد يقول المنافقُ كلمةَ الحقِّ.
“And I warn you against the slip of the wise man – for indeed, Shayṭān may utter a word of misguidance on the tongue of a wise man, and a hypocrite may utter a word of truth.”
قال: قلت لمعاذٍ: ما يدريني – رحمك الله – أن الحكيمَ قد يقول كلمةَ الضلالةِ، وأن المنافقَ قد يقول كلمةَ الحقِّ؟
I (the narrator) said to Muʿādh:
“May Allah have mercy on you – how would I know when the wise man has spoken a word of misguidance, and when the hypocrite has spoken a word of truth?”
قال: بلى ! اجتنبْ من كلام الحكيمِ المشتهراتِ، التي يقال: ما هذه؟ ولا يثنينك ذلك عنه؛ فإنه لعله أن يراجع، وتلقَّ الحقَّ إذا سمعتَه، فإنَّ على الحق نورًا.
He replied:
“Yes indeed! Avoid the widely circulated questionable expressions from the speech of the wise – those about which people say:
‘What is this?!’
But do not let that turn you away from him – for perhaps he may retract.
And accept the truth whenever you hear it – for indeed, truth has light upon it.”
Benefits from the Golden Speech
1. Don’t Follow Someone Just Because They Recite the Qur’an
Not everyone who carries the Qur’an is rightly guided.
Recitation alone is not proof of correctness or worthiness of leadership.
2. Innovation is Always Misguidance
Introducing new religious practices is a path to deviation.
Every bidʿah is a deviation from the straight path.
3. Even the Wise Can Slip
A scholar may mistakenly speak words of misguidance.
Knowledge does not make one infallible.
4. Truth Can Be Spoken by a Hypocrite
Don’t reject the truth based on who says it.
Evaluate statements by the light of revelation, not personalities.
5. Questionable Statements Must Be Scrutinized
Be cautious of strange or confusing phrases, even from scholars.
Use the Qur’an and Sunnah as your measure.
6. Don’t Abandon the Scholar for One Mistake
One error doesn't nullify all the good of a scholar.
Allow room for clarification and correction.
7. Truth Shines with Clarity
Truth carries light; it brings peace, clarity, and strength.
Sincerity helps the heart recognize it when heard.
📚 Sources:
Sunan Abī Dāwūd (ḥadīth no. 4611)
Also reported by:
al-Ḥākim in al-Mustadrak (no. 8422)
ʿAbd al-Razzāq in al-Muṣannaf (no. 21827) with a close wording
Authenticated as Ṣaḥīḥ Mawqūf (authentic but a statement of a Companion) by:
Shaykh al-Albānī in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd
Also supported by Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūṭ in his research
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