IN THE PROPHET’S COMPANY
One example of the Prophet’s general companionship—something his companions often experienced in the mosque or other gatherings—is shown here. It illustrates how, during such gatherings, the Prophet’s companions found nourishment for their intellectual growth. Narrated by Abu Dharr:
The Messenger of God said, “How will you be when rulers after me start to take this public wealth (fay’) for themselves?”
I replied, “By the One who sent you with the truth, I will put my sword on my shoulder and fight until I meet you or join you.”
He said, “Shall I not tell you something better than that? Be patient until you meet me.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 4759)
Through this statement, the Prophet gave his Companions a new perspective. Usually, when people see corruption among their leaders, they start confronting them aggressively in the name of political reform. The Prophet taught that during times of corruption, it is better to practice patience than to oppose the leaders and risk martyrdom. This patience should be maintained until death.
In this hadith, patience does not mean inaction. Instead, it signifies a noble form of action: avoiding conflict with rulers and finding peaceful ways to accomplish one’s goals, while staying committed to them. Political conflict always stems from impatience, whereas acting without confrontation is only achievable when a person masters their emotions and plans their actions calmly.
This was the deep wisdom that the Prophet taught his Companions. The Companions and the early generations of Muslims, known as the Tabi‘in and the Taba‘ Tabi‘in, understood its importance and adopted it wholeheartedly. As a result, during the early period, significant Islamic achievements occurred that would not have been possible without this patient political approach.
As is well known, immediately after the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, political corruption started. Muslim rulers strayed from the path set by the Shariah. If the believers of that time had taken a confrontational approach against their rulers, it would have led to the deaths of all the best individuals from the first and second generations. Those early historical figures would have been buried, and the great Islamic history that was later built through them would never have come into being.
For instance, members of this early generation, having distanced themselves from political conflict, focused their efforts on peaceful and intellectual engagement, which contributed to the wider dissemination of Islamic teachings.
They carried out the monumental task of preserving and spreading the Quran even before the printing press—something unmatched among other revealed scriptures. They collected hundreds of thousands of hadiths, scrutinized them, and compiled collections of authentic hadiths, offering the world the valuable science of hadith. They achieved the great feat of compiling Islamic jurisprudence—something unparalleled in any other religion.
Similarly, it was the same early-generation individuals who, despite ignoring political corruption, compiled all the Islamic sciences: such as sirah (Prophetic biography), history, theology (aqidah and kalam), Arabic lexicons, grammar, morphology, rhetoric, and related fields. Thanks to the efforts of these early believers, Islam became, in every way, a preserved and trustworthy historical religion—something no other faith can claim.
All these achievements were only possible because the early Muslims, guided by the Prophet, adopted this wise approach: they rejected aggressive confrontation in the face of political corruption and instead actively and peacefully engaged in other non-confrontational fields of Islamic service.
