Madinah. It is reported that the Prophet said this hadith when he was at Tabuk, which is far to the north of Makkah and Madinah. This means that both cities were in between his position at the time and Yemen. He thus said that ‘Faith is Yemeni’, attaching both cities to Yemen because they were in the same direction. This is comparable to describing one of the corners of the Ka[bah as al-rukn al-yamani, meaning the Yemeni corner, when it is actually in Makkah but facing the direction of Yemen. A third view, which Abu [Ubayd considered the best, suggests that the Prophet meant the Ansar because they originated from Yemen. The Prophet thus associated faith with them because of the support they gave him.
Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah comments:
Had Abu [Ubayd and scholars who followed his example put together all the versions of this hadith, like Muslim did, and considered them together, they would have come up with a different view. They would have adhered to the meaning as clearly stated by the Prophet. They would have concluded that the Prophet meant Yemen and its people as the general statement implies. In certain versions the Prophet is quoted as saying: ‘The people of Yemen are coming to [visit] you’, and the Ansar were among those addressed by the Prophet, which means that the ones who were coming were different from the addressees. The same applies to the version that says: ‘The people of Yemen have come’. Those who actually came were different from the Ansar. Moreover, the Prophet described them as people of perfect faith, and it was on this basis that he said ‘Faith is Yemeni’. Thus, he indicated that those of the people of Yemen who came to meet him were true believers. Thus, there is nothing to prevent understanding the Prophet’s statement as it is, referring to the people of Yemen. Whoever has a certain quality and nurtures it so that it becomes part of his character is described by having it, so as to indicate that he is distinguished by it. This was true of the people of Yemen at that time with regard to faith. It applied to those of them who came to Madinah during the Prophet’s lifetime and shortly after he passed away, as were the cases of Uways al-Qarni, Abu Muslim al-Khawlani and others like them. Their hearts were pure and full of faith. That the Prophet described them as faithful implied that their faith was true and complete, but this does not deprive other people from faith. Thus there is no contradiction between this statement and his later one: ‘Faith is among the people of Hijaz’. Furthermore, the Prophet actually referred to those of them who were present at the time, not all the people of Yemen in all generations. The Prophet’s words do not mean that. This is the true meaning and we thank God for guiding us to this understanding, but God knows best.
The Prophet then mentions that both knowledge and wisdom are Yemeni. In this instance knowledge expresses the Arabic word fiqh. Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah said:
As for fiqh and wisdom, the word fiqh here means under-standing the Islamic faith. Scholars of fiqh and usul al-fiqh, or legal theory, later gave the word a more specific meaning, which is understanding the practical rulings of Islam through the evidence on which each is based. Wisdom, on the other hand, is given numerous definitions which are at times rather confusing. Everyone who gave a definition actually highlighted some of its aspects. We may say that wisdom is ‘knowledge that incorporates rules and regulations, provides a clear concept of God, the Blessed, the Sublime, and coupled with profound insight, self-discipline, identification of what is right and implementing it, and prevention of the pursuit of self-interest and falsehood’. A wise person is one who combines this. Abu Bakr ibn Durayd said: ‘Every word that admonishes or restrains you, or encourages you to noble action, or dissuades you from an unbecoming one is wisdom. It is in this light that we understand the Prophet’s description: “Some poetry is sheer wisdom”.’ But God knows best.
The Prophet describes the people of Yemen as ‘gentler and softer of heart’. The Prophet uses with each quality of gentility and softness a different word that means ‘heart’. This is a more eloquent way than repeating the same word. What he meant by describing them as gentle and soft-hearted is that they are amenable, quick to respond to reminders, free of the hardness and cruelty which mark the hearts of others mentioned in some versions of the hadith.
The Prophet mentions that cruelty is to be found among camel breeders. In fact, he does not name them as such, but mentions a quality that applies specifically to them, which is their loud voices as they drive animals. They are normally at the back shouting and crying as loud as they can. Abu [Ubaydah Ma[mar ibn al-Muthanna says that the Prophet’s words mean those who own large numbers of camels, between 200 and 1,000. The Prophet’s description further adds: ‘at the end of camel tails, where Satan’s two horns rise, in Rabi[ah and Mudar’. The Prophet mentions the place ‘at the end of camel tails’ to indicate what happens there of terrible shouting as camel attendants drive their herds. The reference to Satan’s two horns means the two sides of his head. However, scholars say that the expression refers to Satan’s troops that try to lead people astray, or to two major communities of unbelievers who support him. The hadith means that the east is particularly prone to Satan’s seduction and, as such, there is more disbelief there. The Prophet says in another hadith: ‘The head of disbelief is towards the east’. This was the case during the Prophet’s lifetime and it will be the case when the false Messiah comes from the east. In between these two times, great episodes of strife will start there, and from there great forces of unbelievers will launch attacks.
The Prophet refers to pride and arrogance. Pride is manifested by extolling one’s own qualities and the qualities of one’s ancestors to show that one is higher than other people. Arrogance manifests itself by conceit and disdain of other people. The Prophet mentions that ‘serenity is among sheep breeders’. Serenity refers to a calm approach and being reassured, it is the opposite of what those who tend camel herds are like.
This is the last thing mentioned by Shaykh Abu [Amr ibn al-Salah and it is perfectly illustrative. There is no need to add more, but God knows best.
Transmission
The chain of transmission of the first of these hadiths includes Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Usamah, Ibn Numayr and his father, Abu Kurayb, Ibn Idris, Isma[il ibn Abi Khalid and Qays. All these were from Kufah. It also includes Yahya ibn Habib and Mu[tamir, who were both from Basrah. It has been mentioned that Ibn Abi Shaybah is called [Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Abi Shaybah; Abu Usamah is Hammad ibn Usamah; Ibn Numayr is Muhammad ibn [Abdullah ibn Numayr; Abu Kurayb is Muhammad ibn al-[Ala’; Ibn Idris is [Abdullah and Abu Khalid is Hurmuz, or Sa[d, or Kathir; while Abu Mas[ud is [Uqbah ibn [Amr al-Ansari.
In another chain of transmission we have al-Darimi, and I have already mentioned in the Introduction that he is named after one of his tribe’s ancestors, Darim. It also includes Abu al-Yaman, whose name is al-Hakam ibn Nafi[, followed by Abu Mu[awiyah Muhammad ibn Khazim; al-A[mash Sulayman ibn Mahran; Abu Isma[il Dhakwan; Ibn Jurayj [Abd al-Malik ibn [Abd al-[Aziz ibn Jurayj; and Abu al-Zubayr Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Tadrus.
All this information is well-known and already mentioned, but I am repeating it here for clarity, particularly to a reader who is not well versed in Hadith study. Such a reader may happen to look at this chapter and want to know the names of some of these reporters so as to look into their biographies and learn about their scholarly standing, or for some other reason. Therefore, I have made it easier for such a reader and provide a short cut, but God knows best what the right approach is.
i.Abu [Ubayd’s name is al-Qasim ibn Sallam, a highly eminent scholar of fiqh and Hadith (157–224 AH, 774–838 CE).
CHAPTER 23
NONE OTHER THAN BELIEVERS ENTER HEAVEN; TO LOVE BELIEVERS IS PART OF FAITH; SPREADING THE GREETING OF PEACE IS A CAUSE OF SUCH LOVE
[97–93]. (Dar al-Salam 0096) Abu Bakr ibn Abi Shaybah nar-rated:i Abu Mu[awiyah and Waki[ narrated; from al-A[mash; from Abu Isma[il; from Abu Hurayrah: ‘God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “You shall not be admitted into Heaven unless you [truly] believe; and you will not believe unless you love one another. Shall I point out to you something which, if you do it, will
