The removal of Amanah – One of our youth benefitted me today

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy.

Allah, The Most High, said:

وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ

And remind, for verily, the reminder benefits the believers. [Adh-Dhariyat 55]

Today, one of those beloved young brothers, may Allah protect us, him, and all our younger and older brothers in the different regions of the earth- who grew up in our midst in Manchester, known to us since he was just 4 or 5 years old, with whom I frequently converse on the phone. He shares insights that benefit me from what he learns from the scholars and Shuyukh in the Muslim lands, the Shuyukh and the students of knowledge in the UK. Our conversations are often friendly and humorous, providing a light-hearted break after work or during weekends when I’m not with my elder companions. He spoke to me about the decline of trustworthiness and quoted a hadith that I had never encountered before in this specific wording regarding the topic. He greatly benefitted me with this hadith, prompting me to share it with my brothers as a reminder for myself first and foremost. May Allah grant us all the Tawfiq to be honest in all our dealings and may Allah make this beloved younger brother of mine the coolness of the eyes of his parents Amin.

The Hadith

Hudhayfah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated: Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, told us two narrations, one of which I have seen (happening) and I am waiting for the other. He told us that indeed Amanah was preserved in the roots of the hearts of men (in the beginning) and then they learnt it from the Qur’an, and then they learnt it from the (Prophet’s) Sunnah. He also told us about its disappearance, saying:

“A man will go to sleep whereupon Amanah will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, resembling the traces of fire. He then will sleep whereupon the remainder of the Amanah will also be taken away (from his heart) and its trace will resemble a blister which is raised over the surface of skin, when an ember touches one’s foot; and in fact, this blister does not contain anything. So there will come a day when people will deal in business with each other but there will hardly be any trustworthy persons among them. Then it will be said that in such-and-such a tribe there is such-and-such person who is trustworthy (or honest), and a man will be admired for his intelligence, good manners and strength, though indeed he will not have belief equal to a mustard seed in his heart.”

The narrator added:

There came upon me a time when I did not mind dealing with anyone of you, for if he was a Muslim, his religion would prevent him from cheating; and if he was a Christian, his Muslim ruler would prevent him from cheating; but today I cannot deal except with so-and-so and so-and-so. [Al-Bukhari 6497 and Muslim 143]

“Indeed Amanah was preserved in the roots of the hearts of men (in the beginning)”.

Imam Al-Qurtubi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Amanah is everything given to a person as a duty to preserve (or safeguard) and entrusted with it. In this regard, religious duty is called an Amanah in Allah’s statement:

إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا ٱلْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلْجِبَالِ

Truly, We did offer Al-Amanah (the trust or moral responsibility or honesty and all the duties which Allah has ordained) to the heavens and the earth, and the mountains… [al-Ahzab 72] [1]

He (the Messenger) also told us about its disappearance, saying:

“A man will go to sleep whereupon Amanah will be taken away from his heart, and only its trace will remain, resembling the traces of fire. He then will sleep whereupon the remainder of the Amanah will also be taken away (from his heart) and its trace will resemble a blister which is raised over the surface of skin, when an ember touches one’s foot; and in fact, this blister does not contain anything”.

Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajr, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The essence of the khabar (i.e. this narration, report) is that it warns about the removal of Amanah, and that a person who is described as trustworthy will be striped of it until he becomes treacherous after once being trustworthy. This happens – as it is witnessed – to the one who intyermingles with treacherous people, for indeed, he becomes treacherous because a companion follows the example of his companion. [2]

Listen to Sharh of The Hadith By Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him:

Finally, we remind ourselves about the importance of Amanah in gatherings, making sure that we keep private conversations confidential and refrain from spreading rumours, but also making sure that we do not hide for anyone who conspires to harm people in private regardless of how many times he claims that Amanah has been violated. Read here:

[1] “Private Gatherings Are Amanah, No Tale-Carrying” — Identifying an Ambiguity Within This Statement

Additionally, we should be cautious about whom we trust to learn our religion from. Imam Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaymin, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

We add trustworthiness as an additional characteristic alongside proficiency because proficiency is a strength and it has to be accompanied by trustworthiness. Allah said:

إِنَّ خَيۡرَ مَنِ ٱسۡتَـٔۡجَرۡتَ ٱلۡقَوِىُّ ٱلۡأَمِينُ

Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy. [Al-Qasas. 26]

It may be that a scholar is proficient and vast in knowledge, able to derive and explain subsidiary issues from fundamental principles, as well as categorise, distinguish and place different subject matters in their appropriate place, but he is not trustworthy and might misguide you from where you do not know”. [3]

However, Ahlus Sunnah will remain: The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

“There will not cease to be a group amongst my Ummah upon the truth; neither will they be harmed by those who betray them nor those who oppose them until the command of Allah arrives [i.e. the day of judgement]”. [Al-Bukhari]

Al-Allamah Salih Al-Fawzan, may Allah preserve him, stated:

This group will not cease to exist in the Ummah. The Ummah will not be deprived of this Sunni Group. This Taa’ifah (Group) can be one group. If it adheres to the Qur’an and the Sunnah, it is the Taa’ifah Al-Mansurah (The Victorious Group), even if it is only one. The Ummah will not lose this Sunni Group, this good group, and all praise be to Allah, until the command of Allah comes to pass (i.e. the Day of Judgment]. “They will not be harmed by those who forsake them”. Amongst the people are those who forsake them and those who oppose them, but they will not be harmed. This is from Allah’s Grace upon His servants and that He will establish the truth for the one who aids the truth and call to it, even if evil is rife. There will be those who adhere to good, call to it and spread it amongst the people. Not all the Ummah will be misguided, rather, some will remain upon truth, but they might be strangers, as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Islam began as a strange thing and it will return as a strange thing, and glad tidings to the strangers”. They asked, “Who are the strangers O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “They are those who will be upright when the people become corrupt”.. and in another version of this hadith “Those who rectify what the people have corrupted”. These are the strangers because the majority of the people oppose them, belittle, forsake and keep away from what they are upon, but this will not harm them. “They will never be harmed by those who forsake them nor by those who oppose them”. Allah will make them remain so that His Proofs remain amongst the creation until the end of time.

This group maybe in the East, the West, or the North etc…They are not in a specific place, but they are present. Whoever wants will find it. It is present and all praise is due to Allah. Alhamdulil laah, we – at present – are upon a correct methodology, upon a sound methodology; our methodology is that which the Qur’an and sunnah necessitate, our learning is based upon the Qur’an and the Sunnah. We study Tafsir, hadith and its explanation, the Aqeedah of the pious predecessors and that which they were upon. Alhamadulil laah at present we are upon a correct path, a sound methodology and straight path. We ask Allah to keep us firm upon it until we meet him, neither substituting nor changing it. [4]

We ask Allah:
اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي دِينِي الَّذِي هُوَ عِصْمَةُ أَمْرِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي دُنْيَايَ الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَاشِي
وَأَصْلِحْ لِي آخِرَتِي الَّتِي فِيهَا مَعَادِي
وَاجْعَلِ الْحَيَاةَ زِيَادَةً لِي فِي كُلِّ خَيْرٍ
وَاجْعَلِ الْمَوْتَ رَاحَةً لِي مِنْ كُلِّ شَرٍّ

O Allah! Rectify my religion for me, which is the safeguard of my affairs; rectify my worldly [affairs], wherein is my livelihood; and rectify my Afterlife to which is my return; and make life for me [as a means of] increase in every good and make death for me as a rest from every evil. [Saheeh Muslim Number: 2720] [5]

[1] Al-Muf’him Limaa Min Tal’khees Kitab Muslim 1/356 by Imam Al-Qurtubi – rahimahullah. Publisher Dar Ibn Kathir 8th Edition 1444H [2023]

[2] Fath al-Bari 13/39

[3] An Excerpt from Sharh Hilya Talib Al-Ilm. p22

[4] Paraphrased: https://youtu.be/5T4j_gPQMVc?si=3PI_CCDm7Twe_cKf

[5]https://salafidawahmanchester.com/2020/12/29/o-allaah-rectify-my-religion-for-me-which-the-safeguard-of-my-affairs-a-tremendous-supplication/