Chapter

To make the Heart Tender (Ar-Riqaq)

كتاب الرقاق

Arabic Text

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا غُنْدَرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا جَمْرَةَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي زَهْدَمُ بْنُ مُضَرِّبٍ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عِمْرَانَ بْنَ حُصَيْنٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ خَيْرُكُمْ قَرْنِي، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ، ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ‏"‏‏.‏ قَالَ عِمْرَانُ فَمَا أَدْرِي قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بَعْدَ قَوْلِهِ مَرَّتَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلاَثًا ‏"‏ ثُمَّ يَكُونُ بَعْدَهُمْ قَوْمٌ يَشْهَدُونَ وَلاَ يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ، وَيَخُونُونَ وَلاَ يُؤْتَمَنُونَ، وَيَنْذِرُونَ وَلاَ يَفُونَ وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمُ السِّمَنُ ‏"‏‏.‏

English Translation

Narrated Zahdam bin Mudarrib:

`Imran bin Husain said: The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The best people are my contemporaries (i.e., the present (my) generation) and then those who come after them (i.e., the next generation)." `Imran added: I am not sure whether the Prophet (ﷺ) repeated the statement twice after his first saying. The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "And after them there will come people who will bear witness, though they will not be asked to give their witness; and they will be treacherous and nobody will trust them, and they will make vows, but will not fulfill them, and fatness will appear among them."