So He ﷺ Said, “Stay in Your House … Tend to Your Own Affairs and Leave the Affairs of the Common Folk.”

December 11, 2015 § Leave a comment

“It was narrated from ’Umaarah bin ’Amr from ’Abdullaah bin ’Amr bin al-’Aas that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam, said, “How will you be at a time …” or “Soon there will be a time …” “… when people are sifted and the dregs of mankind will be left, who will break their promises and betray their trusts, and they will become mixed together* like this …” and he interlaced his fingers. They said, “How should we be, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said, “Accept that which you approve of and reject that which you disapprove of …

تُقْبِلُونَ عَلَى أَمْرِ خَاصَّتِكُم
… tend to your own affairs.

وتَذَرُونَ أَمْرَ عَامَّتِكُم
And leave the affairs of the common folk.””

[Abu Dawud no. 4342, Hasan]

* “‘Mixed together,’ meaning, to such an extent that one will not be able to tell the good from the bad, and people will be so confused about religious matters that they will not be able to tell the difference between honesty and betrayal, good and evil.”

“It was narrated from ’Ikrimah, he said, “’Abdullaah bin ’Amr bin al-’Aas narrated to me, he said, ‘While we were around the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ he mentioned Fitnah and said, ‘If you see that the people have started to break their promises, and are not trustworthy, and they are like this …’ and he interlaced his fingers. I stood up and said, ‘What should I do at that time? May Allaah cause me to be ransomed for you.’ He said:

الْزَمْ بَيْتَك
‘Stay in your house

وَامْلِكَ عَلَيْكَ لِسَانَكَ
and hold your tongue

accept that which you approve of, and reject that which you disapprove of

وَعَلَيْكَ بِأَمْرِ خَاصَّةِ نَفْسِكَ
tend to your own affairs

وَدَعْ عَنْكَ أَمْرَ الْعَامَّةِ
and leave alone the affairs of the common folk.’””

[Abu Dawud no. 4343, Hasan]

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