Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2007
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هِشَامٍ الرِّفَاعِيُّ، مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَزِيدَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ فُضَيْلٍ، عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ جُمَيْعٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الطُّفَيْلِ، عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَكُونُوا إِمَّعَةً تَقُولُونَ إِنْ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسُ أَحْسَنَّا وَإِنْ ظَلَمُوا ظَلَمْنَا وَلَكِنْ وَطِّنُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنْ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسُ أَنْ تُحْسِنُوا وَإِنْ أَسَاءُوا فَلاَ تَظْلِمُوا " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لاَ نَعْرِفُهُ إِلاَّ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Hisham al-Rifa‘i—Muhammad ibn Yazid—narrated to us: Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us, from al-Walid ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Jumay‘, from Abu al-Tufayl, from Hudhayfah, who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not be an unthinking follower, saying, ‘If people act well, we will act well, and if they act unjustly, we will act unjustly.’ Instead, train yourselves: if people act well, act well; and if they act badly, do not act unjustly.” Abu ‘Isa said: This hadith is hasan gharib; we know it only through this route.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The term immā‘ah describes following others without independent judgment; the translation renders it descriptively rather than inventing an English label.
قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " لاَ تَكُونُوا إِمَّعَةً تَقُولُونَ إِنْ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسُ أَحْسَنَّا وَإِنْ ظَلَمُوا ظَلَمْنَا وَلَكِنْ وَطِّنُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ إِنْ أَحْسَنَ النَّاسُ أَنْ تُحْسِنُوا وَإِنْ أَسَاءُوا فَلاَ تَظْلِمُوا " .
The term إمعة is a disparaging description of someone who follows others without a settled stance; no exact English equivalent is supplied here.
Does “unthinking follower” convey this sense without overstating that the person lacks all will?