AbdurRahman ibn Amr as-Sulami and Hujr ibn Hujr said: We came to Irbad ibn Sariyah who was among those about whom the following verse was revealed: "Nor (is there blame) on those who come to thee to be provided with mounts, and when thou saidst: "I can find no mounts for you."
We greeted him and said: We have come to see you to give healing and obtain benefit from you.
Al-Irbad said: One day the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) led us in prayer, then faced us and gave us a lengthy exhortation at which the eyes shed tears and the hearts were afraid.
A man said: Messenger of Allah! It seems as if it were a farewell exhortation, so what injunction do you give us?
He then said: I enjoin you to fear Allah, and to hear and obey even if it be an Abyssinian slave, for those of you who live after me will see great disagreement. You must then follow my sunnah and that of the rightly-guided caliphs. Hold to it and stick fast to it. Avoid novelties, for every novelty is an innovation, and every innovation is an error.
Hadith Commentary: The Farewell Exhortation
This profound narration from Sunan Abi Dawud 4607, found in the chapter "Model Behavior of the Prophet (Kitab Al-Sunnah)," contains the Prophet's final comprehensive guidance to his community. The setting itself is significant - delivered after prayer when hearts are most receptive to divine remembrance.
Core Principles of Islamic Guidance
The Prophet's instruction begins with Taqwa (consciousness of Allah), the foundation of all righteous action. This is followed by the obligation to hear and obey legitimate authority, emphasizing that piety, not ethnicity or social status, determines leadership merit.
The prophetic foresight acknowledges the inevitable divisions that would occur after his passing, making this guidance timeless for all generations facing religious disputes.
The Twin Foundations: Sunnah and Rightly-Guided Caliphs
The command to follow the Prophet's Sunnah establishes the primary source of guidance after the Quran. The inclusion of the rightly-guided caliphs demonstrates the continuity of authentic Islamic practice through the first generation of Muslim leadership.
The emphatic repetition "Hold to it and stick fast to it" indicates the critical importance of maintaining this connection to authentic tradition amidst changing circumstances.
Understanding Bid'ah (Innovation)
Classical scholars define religious innovation as introducing new matters into the religion that contradict established principles. The Prophet's warning categorizes all religious innovations as misguidance, protecting the purity of Islamic teachings from human alterations.
This prohibition applies specifically to matters of worship and creed, not to worldly innovations that benefit the community without contradicting Islamic principles.
Practical Application for Muslims
This hadith provides the methodology for navigating religious differences: return to the Quran, the Prophet's Sunnah, and the understanding of the righteous predecessors.
It teaches that preservation of the religion requires both positive adherence to authentic tradition and vigilant avoidance of unauthorized innovations in matters of faith and worship.