Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3058
حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الطَّالْقَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، أَخْبَرَنَا عُتْبَةُ بْنُ أَبِي حَكِيمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ جَارِيَةَ اللَّخْمِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ الشَّعْبَانِيِّ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ الْخُشَنِيَّ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ كَيْفَ تَصْنَعُ فِي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ قَالَ أَيَّةُ آيَةٍ قُلْتُ قَوْلُهُ : ( يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ) قَالَ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ عَنْهَا خَبِيرًا سَأَلْتُ عَنْهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ " بَلِ ائْتَمِرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنَاهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَيْتَ شُحًّا مُطَاعًا وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعًا وَدُنْيَا مُؤْثَرَةً وَإِعْجَابَ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْىٍ بِرَأْيِهِ فَعَلَيْكَ بِخَاصَّةِ نَفْسِكَ وَدَعِ الْعَوَامَّ فَإِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ أَيَّامًا الصَّبْرُ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ الْقَبْضِ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً يَعْمَلُونَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِكُمْ " . قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ وَزَادَنِي غَيْرُ عُتْبَةَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً مِنَّا أَوْ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ " لاَ بَلْ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ " . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Umayyah al-Sha‘bani reported: ‘I went to Abu Tha‘labah al-Khushani and asked, “How do you understand this verse?” He asked, “Which verse?” I said, “Allah’s words: ‘Believers, take care of yourselves. Those who stray cannot harm you if you are guided’” (Qur’an 5:105). He said, “By Allah, you have asked someone who knows. I asked the Messenger of Allah about it. He said: ‘Rather, encourage one another to do what is right and forbid what is wrong, until you see greed being obeyed, desires being followed, worldly life being preferred, and everyone admiring his own opinion. At that time, attend to your own responsibility and leave the general public. Ahead of you are days when patience will be like holding a burning coal. Whoever acts righteously in those days will have the reward of fifty men who do deeds like yours.’” ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mubarak added that someone other than ‘Utbah reported they asked, “Fifty men from among us, Messenger of Allah, or from among them?” He replied, “No, the reward of fifty from among you.”’ Abu ‘Isa graded this hadith hasan gharib.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The hadith first commands continued mutual encouragement of right and prevention of wrong, then describes a later period when one should focus on personal responsibility amid widespread social corruption.
A chain addition clarifies that the reward is fifty times that of people addressed by the Prophet, not fifty from a later generation.