An Important Clarification The Meaning Of The

Hadith "Stay Away From Those Groups, And Bite

Down On The Bark/Root Of A Tree..."
January 17, 2015 at 8:25pm
I was having a discussion with a brother about the current state of our traitor rulers, and he seemed to
believe that not all our rulers were puppets (mentioning Muhammad Ali in the 1850s and Jamal
Abdul-Nasser in the 1950s and others). I was reminded of a really profound and relevant Hadith, and
I wanted to share the analysis with everyone:

It was narrated in Bukhari and Muslim from Huthayfah bin Al-Yaman:

From the Hadith of Huthayfa bin Al-Yaman, he said: "People used to ask the Messenger of Allah
(saw) about the good times, but I used to ask him about bad times fearing they overtake me. I said:
Messenger of Allah, we were in the midst of ignorance and evil, and then Allah brought us this good
(Islam). Is there any bad time after this good one? He said: Yes. I asked: Will there be a good time
again after that bad time? He said: Yes, but therein will be a hidden evil. I asked: What will be the
evil hidden therein? He said: There will be people who guide with other than my guidance. You will
know good in them as well as bad. I asked: Will there be a bad time after this good one? He said:
Yes. There will be callers to the gates of the Hellfire. Whosoever responds to their call will be
thrown by them into the fire. I said: Messenger of Allah, describe them for us. He said: They will be
people who are of the same skin as us and speak our language. I said: Messenger of Allah, what do
you suggest if I live to witness that time? He said: You must hold firm to the united body of the
Muslims and their leader/Imam. I said: What if there is no united body and no leader/Imam? He said:
Then stay away from all those divisions (at all costs), even if you have to bite down on the bark/root
of a tree, until death comes to you while you are in this state."

This Hadith is truly amazing when looked at from the correct perspective. The Hadith speaks about
the time of the Khilafah Al-Raashida (the first good time), followed by a bad time (which might be
the advent of the Khawarij during the time of Uthman and the bloodshed between the Sahaba during
the time of Ali), followed by a good time with a hidden evil (possibly referring to the days of the
later Khulafaa, such as the Abbasid and Uthmanis, where they oppressed the people and misapplied
Islam, yet the lifestyle was Islamic and prosperous), followed by a time of evil and this is the
interesting part:

Rasool Allah (saw) says that this last period of evil is characterized by the callers to the gates of the
Hellfire who have our skin and speak our language. This is almost certainly referring to our rulers
today and since WW1 who call us to nationalism, secularism, and Kufr, and where some even
pretend to represent Islam (Saudi, Iran, Turkey, etc). The description of them having "our" skin and
speaking "our" language clearly indicates that they are not from us.

Then he (saw) describes them as "divisions." This seems to be referring to nation states, because
Rasool Allah (saw) says to stay with the Jama'ah of the Muslims and their Imam (the Khilafah, so
this part is speaking to those reading this Hadith while the Khilafah is still standing), but if the
Khilafah does not exist ("if there is no united body and no Imam"), then we must stay away from all
those divisions, meaning that we must not become loyal to any of those nation states, and abstain
from any involvement (political participation, etc) at all costs. The part about biting down on the
bark/root of a tree is a figure of speech in Arabic to indicate extreme patience at all costs, meaning to
never give in and become a part of nationalistic loyalties or join these governments or their armies.

We need our Jama'ah and our Imam. We need the Khilafah. Remaining patient does not mean doing
nothing, rather it means remaining patient on the truth, no matter how "impossible" or "impractical"
it might seem, and no matter how many people mock you that it has been "60 years and we have seen
nothing." This is the meaning of biting down on the bark/root of a tree. Keeping steadfast to the truth
during these times and working towards the change that Islam demands requires immense patience.

May Allah (swt) protect us from these Fitan, and give us the patience and strength to be the medium
though which He (swt) spreads the correct understanding of this Deen throughout the Ummah.