Question:
What is the status of hadith on the characteristics of Daesh?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
The Prophet PBUH narrates how life nearing the end of time to be filled with challenges and fitnah which will arise. Due to that, there are many hadiths that discuss related matters regarding this time so that people are more cautious.
Based on the above question, hereby, we include the text of the hadith meant.
Text of Hadith (Matan)
The following is the text of hadith on ISIS
Narrated by Ali bin Abu Thalib RA, it is stated that the Prophet PBUH said:
إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الرَّايَاتِ السُّودَ فَالْزَمُوا الْأَرْضَ فَلَا تُحَرِّكُوا أَيْدِيَكُمْ ، وَلَا أَرْجُلَكُمْ ، ثُمَّ يَظْهَرُ قَوْمٌ ضُعَفَاءُ لَا يُؤْبَهُ لَهُمْ ، قُلُوبُهُمْ كَزُبَرِ الْحَدِيدِ ، هُمْ أَصْحَابُ الدَّوْلَةِ ، لَا يَفُونَ بِعَهْدٍ وَلَا مِيثَاقٍ ، يَدْعُونَ إِلَى الْحَقِّ وَلَيْسُوا مِنْ أَهْلِهِ ، أَسْمَاؤُهُمُ الْكُنَى ، وَنِسْبَتُهُمُ الْقُرَى ، وَشُعُورُهُمْ مُرْخَاةٌ كَشُعُورِ النِّسَاءِ ، حَتَّى يَخْتَلِفُوا فِيمَا بَيْنَهُمْ ، ثُمَّ يُؤْتِي اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ
“When you see black flags, remain at your place and do not lift your hands and feet. Then a group of weak persons will become powerful, never had been imagined before, their hearts are like sheets of iron. They are the people of the dawlah (rule many districts), never keep their promises. They call for truth, but they are not those with truth. Their names are by kunyah (moniker) and they named themselves by their hometown. Their hairs fall like women until there is refute among them, then Allah SWT put the truth in those He wants” [See: al-Fitan (573)]
The Status of the Hadith
The scholars stated several defects of this hadith:
- First: In its sanad, there is a narrator named Abu Ruman. He is majhul and is not known of his tarjamah (biography) except what is stated by ibn Mandah in al-Kuna in which he (Abu Rumman) narrated hadith from Ali in the chapter of fitan (fitnah). It is narrated from him from Abdullah bin Abi Lahi’ah from Abi Qabil from Abi Rumman. [See: al-Kuna, 328]
- Second: Ibn Lahi’ah, his name is Abdullah bin Lahi’ah bin Uqbah. His narration is mixed in his later age, hence, a group of scholars labelled him as dhaif due to this except narrators who take hadith from him before his memory is mixed. [See: al-Tahzib and Mizan al-‘Itidal]
- Third: Nu’aim bin Hammad, he is a writer of the book (al-Fitan): He has manakir (narrations which are munkar) that Imam al-Nasai’e said that he is not thiqah. [See: Tahzib al-Tahzib, 10/461]
- Fourth: al-Walid bin Muslim is a mudallis who commit the worst tadlis which is tadlis taswiyah. Imam Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani states that al-Walid is someone with the attribute of committing the worst tadlis. [See: Thabaqat al-Mudallisin, 51]
Based on some defects in the hadith or athar and after viewing the scholars’ opinions, then we are inclined to state that this hadith is very weak and it is also a mawquf hadith (the chain of narration stops at the Companion which is Ali bin Thalib RA, not the Prophet PBUH).
However, there are some hadith related to black flag which are thabit from the Prophet PBUH. Among them are:
- Narrated by al-Barra’ bin Azib RA when he is asked on the characteristics of the flag of the Prophet PBUH, he said:
كَانَتْ سَوْدَاءَ مُرَبَّعَةً مِنْ نَمِرَةٍ
It was black and square, being made of a woolen rug.
[Sunan Abu Dawud (2591) and Jami al-Tirmidhi (1680)][Syeikh Syu’aib al-Arna’outh view this hadith as hassan li ghairih]
- Narrated by Thauban RA he said that the Prophet PBUH said:
يَقْتَتِلُ عِنْدَ كَنْزِكُمْ ثَلاَثَةٌ كُلُّهُمُ ابْنُ خَلِيفَةٍ ثُمَّ لاَ يَصِيرُ إِلَى وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ ثُمَّ تَطْلُعُ الرَّايَاتُ السُّودُ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَشْرِقِ فَيَقْتُلُونَكُمْ قَتْلاً لَمْ يُقْتَلْهُ قَوْمٌ
"Three will fight one another for your treasure, each one of them is the son of a caliph, but none of them will gain it. Then the black banners will come from the east, and they will kill you in an unprecedented manner."
[Sunan Ibn Majah (4084)][Imam al-Hakim view this hadith as sahih according to the conditions of al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Closing
In conclusion, the above hadith or narration is very weak in term of status because there are many defects on the narrators and we are of the view that this hadith is mawquf which means its chain of narrators stops at the companions; Saiyidina Ali bin Abi Thalib RA and it is not from the Prophet PBUH. However, we still are commanded to always be prepared and cautious in facing fitnah of the last days. Lastly, may Allah SWT preserve us as well as our aqidah and faith so we be among His slaves who are prosperous in this world and the hereafter. Ameen.
Wallahua’lam.