People’s classes in their attitude to divine revelations

عن أبي موسى الأشعريِّ، عن النبيِّ ﷺ قال:«مَثَلُ ما بعَثَني اللهُ به من الهُدى والعِلم، كمَثَل الغَيث الكثيرِ أصاب أرضًا: فكان منها نَقِيَّةٌ، قبِلَت الماءَ، فأنبتَت الكَلَأَ والعُشبَ الكثير، وكانت منها أجادبُ، أمسكت الماءَ، فنفعَ اللهُ بها الناسَ، فشَرِبوا وسَقَوْا وزرعوا، وأصابت منها طائفةٌ أخرى، إنما هي قِيعانٌ لا تُمسِك ماءً ولا تُنبتُ كلأً، فذلك مثَلُ مَن فَقُه في دِين الله، ونفَعه ما بعَثَني الله به فعَلِم وعَلَّم، ومَثلُ مَن لم يرفَعْ بذلك رأسًا، ولم يَقبَلْ هُدى الله الذي أُرسِلْتُ به» متفق عليه.

تحميل الملف الصوتي

Abu Mūsā al-Ash‘arī narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

1. The guidance and knowledge God, Mighty and Exalted, has sent me with is like a rain that has fallen on a certain land.

2. A portion of it was fertile: it absorbed the water and produced much vegetation and grass.

3. Another portion was hard, retaining the water. God enables people to benefit by it, using the water to drink, give others and cultivate their land.

4. The rain fell on yet another portion that is flat and barren. It neither retains the water nor produces vegetation.

5. This is comparable to one who acquires good understanding of the divine faith and benefits by the message God has given me: he learns and teaches, contrasted to the one who pays no attention to it, rejecting God’s guidance with which I am the Messenger’.

Summary of Meaning

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In this hadith, the Prophet compares people’s different attitudes to the guidance God provided them with through His Messenger (peace be upon him). Some of them grasped it with good understanding and implemented it. Thus they benefited by it and helped others to so benefit. Others learnt it, imparting it to others who might have a better understanding of it. Others still neglected it. They neither acquired its benefit, nor benefited others.