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The Ḥadīth of Abū Dharr about Oppression

Shaykh Mūsá Richardson

Mūsá Richardson explains in great detail the Ḥadīth of Abū Dharr al-Ghifārī concerning the Ḥadīth Qudsī relating to oppression. This Ḥadīth is one of the most beneficial and noteworthy statements of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam). It is a Ḥadīth that is so profound, so foundational, so relevant and so significant that the scholars of old, if they knew it was going to be recited, they would sit up straight and listen intently. It is found in Imām al-Nawawī’s Forty Ḥadīth. 

On the authority of Abū Dharr, who narrates from the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), from the things that he (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) narrated from Allāh the Most High: O My servants, I have made oppression ḥarām upon Myself and upon you My servants so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are misguided, except the ones I have guided, so seek guidance from Me so I shall guide you. O My servants, all of you are hungry, except the ones I feed, so seek your food from Me and I will feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked, except those that I have clothed, so seek clothing from Me and I will clothe you. O My servants, you are committing errors day and night while I am the one who forgives all sins, so seek forgiveness from Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not be able to harm Me with anything; you will not be able to benefit Me with anything. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you and the mankind of you and the jinn of you were all upon the most righteous heart of any man among you, that will not increase Me in My dominion in any way. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you and the mankind of you and the jinn of you were all upon the most disobedient heart of any man among you, that will not take anything from My dominion in the least way. O My servants, if the first of you and the last of you, the mankind of you and the jinn of you stood on one hilltop and ask from Me what he needed and I were to grant each person his request, that does not decrease anything that I have except how if you put a needle in the ocean and pulled out water how much water you would pull out from the ocean. O My servants, it is but your actions that I hold you account for, and then I will take your souls and bring you back to your actions. So whoever finds good, then let him praise Allāh, and whoever finds something else, then let him surely not blame anyone except his own self.

Published: March 26, 2017
Edited: April 13, 2022

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