Future Corrupt Rulers in Sahih Muslim: Hadith Explained
Some deceivers quote the hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, may Allah be pleased with him, about future rulers who would not follow the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, pretending that it attacks the Companions. This is a forced reading. The narration is a prophecy about future corrupt rulers, and the Prophet ﷺ himself distinguished the path of his Companions from the path of later deviation.
The Hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman
I said:
“O Messenger of Allah, we were in evil and Allah brought good, and we are in it. Is there evil after this good?”
He said:
“Yes.”
I said:
“Is there good after that evil?”
He said:
“Yes.”
I said:
“Is there evil after that good?”
He said:
“Yes.”
I said:
“How?”
He said:
“After me there will be imams who will not be guided by my guidance nor will they follow my Sunnah. There will arise among them men whose hearts will be the hearts of devils in human bodies.”
He said:
I said:
“What should I do, O Messenger of Allah, if I live to see that?”
He said:
“You will listen and obey the leader, even if your back is beaten and your wealth is taken, so listen and obey.”
First Response: This Is a Prophecy, Not an Attack on the Companions
This is one of the prophecies of the Prophet ﷺ, in which he foretold what would happen after him.
And it happened exactly as he foretold.
So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was truthful.
The hadith does not prove corruption among the Companions. It proves the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ, because he foretold the appearance of corrupt rulers after him.
The forger thinks he has found an accusation against the Companions, but he has only brought evidence for the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ.
Second Response: The Prophecy Does Not Mean the Companions
The prophecy does not refer to the Companions. Rather, the guidance of the Companions is from the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ, as the Prophet ﷺ himself informed us.
The Messenger of God ﷺ led us in the dawn prayer, then he turned to us and preached to us a sermon that made our hearts fearful and our eyes tearful.
We said:
“O Messenger of God, it is as if it is a farewell sermon, so advise us.”
He said:
“I advise you to fear God and to listen and obey, even if an Ethiopian slave is appointed over you, for whoever among you lives will see much difference. So adhere to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs, cling to them firmly, and beware of newly-invented matters, for every innovation is misguidance.”
Al-Hakim said about it:
“This is a sound hadith that has no defect.”
This narration destroys the accusation completely.
The Prophet ﷺ did not tell the Ummah to avoid the path of his Companions. He commanded the Ummah to cling to his Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs.
Third Response: The Companions Were a Security for the Ummah
The Prophet ﷺ also informed us that these corrupt conditions would appear after the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
The Messenger of God ﷺ said:
“My Companions are a security for my nation. If my Companions are gone, what they were promised will come to my nation.”
Grading: Sahih
Source: Sahih al-Jami‘ no. 6800
This indicates that the Companions were a bond of security for this Ummah from misguidance. The trials and corrupt rulers mentioned in the hadith came after them, not because of them.
The hadith of Hudhayfah warns the Ummah about future corrupt rulers who would abandon the Prophet’s guidance and Sunnah. It does not accuse the Companions. Rather, other narrations prove that the Companions and the rightly-guided caliphs are the standard to be followed.
So what exactly is the accusation against the Companions here?
There is none.
The forger confused a prophecy about later corrupt rulers with an attack on the generation that carried the Sunnah, preserved the religion, and served as security for the Ummah.
The hadith of Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman is not evidence against the Companions. It is evidence for the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ, who foretold the appearance of corrupt rulers after him. The Prophet ﷺ commanded Muslims to follow his Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-guided caliphs, and he described his Companions as a security for the Ummah. The deceiver has again brought a narration that refutes him before it refutes anyone else.