The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
"Islam began as something strange and will go back to being strange, so glad tidings to the strangers." (Sahih Muslim, no. 145)
When asked who the strangers are, he replied in one narration: "Those who have left their families and tribes." (Sunan Ibn Majah, no. 3988 — Sahih)
This hadith is the foundation of one of the most beloved and relevant books in the Islamic tradition: The Journey of the Strangers by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and Imam al-Ajurri, rahimahumullah. The following is an excerpt from pages 34–35.
The Meaning of "Islam Began as Something Strange"
Before the advent of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, people would adhere to different religions — the Jew, the Christian, the Magian, and the polytheist.
When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent, those who accepted Islam from each of these groups would be looked upon with suspicion. They were viewed as strangers in their individual localities and strangers amongst their tribe members. They would be forced to conceal their Islam, would be ostracised by their own families, humiliated and belittled — yet they bore all of this with patience and constancy.
This continued until Allah, Mighty and Magnificent, ennobled Islam, its followers and helpers multiplied, and the adherents to falsehood were humiliated and subjugated. Therefore, in the beginning, Islam was something strange.
The Meaning of "...And It Shall Return to Being Something Strange"
This means — and Allah knows best — that misguided innovations shall increase and many people will succumb to them. As such, those who follow the truth and adhere to the legal law of Islam shall seem like strangers amongst the masses.
Have you not heard the saying of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him:
"My nation shall divide into seventy-three sects, all of them will be in the fire save one." When asked who the saved sect was, he replied: "That which is upon what I and my Companions are upon."
And his saying, peace and blessings be upon him:
"Command the good and prohibit the evil until you see parsimony being obeyed, desires being followed, the world being preferred, and every person being amazed at his own opinion. At that time, concern yourself with yourself and avoid the masses. Those will be the days of patience, and to be patient amongst them will be like holding on to red-hot coals."
This then is one of the characteristics of the stranger: one who remains steadfast and patient upon his religion so that he can safeguard himself against misguided innovation.
This patient steadfastness amid a heedless world is the very discipline Ibn al-Jawzi calls believers to in his reflection on The Stages of Life.
About the Book
The Journey of the Strangers by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and Imam al-Ajurri is published by Dar As-Sunnah and is essential reading for every Muslim navigating a world increasingly at odds with the Sunnah. Available at The Islamic Book Cafe for $14.00.
Baarakallahu feekum — The Islamic Book Cafe | Portland, Oregon
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