Ibn Mas'ud reported God’s messenger as saying, “There was no prophet whom God raised up among his people before me who did not have from among his people apostles and companions who held to his sunna and followed what he commanded; then they were succeeded by people who said what they did not practise and did things they were not commanded to do. So he who strives against them with his hand is a believer, he who strives against them with his tongue is a believer, and he who strives against them with his heart is a believer. Beyond that there is not so much faith as a grain of mustard seed.” Muslim transmitted it.
Commentary on the Hadith of Succession and Faith
This noble hadith from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), transmitted by Imam Muslim in his Sahih and recorded in Mishkat al-Masabih 157, addresses the cyclical nature of religious communities and the levels of faith in confronting deviation.
The Pattern of Religious Communities
The Prophet informs us that every prophetic mission begins with sincere companions who fully implement the teachings and follow the sunna. These are the salaf (predecessors) who embody the pure teachings.
Then come generations who abandon practice while maintaining verbal affirmation - they "say what they do not practise." Finally emerge those who introduce innovations (bid'ah) - "doing things they were not commanded to do." This pattern demonstrates the necessity of returning to the way of the righteous predecessors.
Levels of Faith in Confronting Deviation
The Prophet outlines three levels of faith in dealing with religious innovation: striving with the hand (physical action and practical correction), striving with the tongue (verbal advice and condemnation of wrong), and striving with the heart (internal rejection while incapable of outward action).
Each level represents genuine faith, with the highest being practical correction, followed by verbal opposition, and the minimum being heartfelt rejection. The hadith emphasizes that beyond these responses, no faith remains - not even "a grain of mustard seed" - indicating that silent acceptance of clear deviation extinguishes faith.
Scholarly Insights
Imam Nawawi comments that this hadith establishes the obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil according to one's capability. Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali explains that the "hand" refers to physical prevention by those in authority, while the "tongue" refers to scholarly advice and the "heart" to the duty of every Muslim.
The mustard seed analogy underscores that faith must manifest in action against clear wrongdoing. Complete silence in the face of manifest deviation indicates the absence of true faith. This teaching preserves the community from complete religious corruption while accounting for individual capacities.