The Hadith of Safeena

There is a Hadith reported in Bukhari, in the chapter of partnership narrated by Nu'man

bin Basheer (ra) that the prophet (saw) said,

"The example of the one who stands for the Deen of Allah and the one who has left it are
like the people in a boat, some of whom occupy the upper deck and some occupy the
lower deck. Whenever those in the lower deck need water, they have to go to the upper
deck to retrieve it. So some of them said, ‘why don't we make a hole in our deck so we do
not harm the people of the upper deck?' If the people do not stop them, they will all fall
and be failures, but if they stop them they will all be saved"

This Hadith has also been reported in another narration that the prophet (saw) said,

"The example of the one who stands for the Hudud of Allah and the one who
compromises the Hudud of Allah ..."

It is Saheeh and has many narrations. The prophet (saw) has given us this parable
explaining the reality of people in the society that they are living in and their role in it.

The Hadith mentions the fact that people in any society must live together and put up
with each other, that each people have needs that need to be fulfilled such as the need of
the people of the lower deck to take water. The example of the ship is like people in a
society where some people wish to engage in bad deeds by making a hole in bottom of
the ship and this Hadith explained that the people of the upper deck Must either do their
duty and stop them or if they ignore them and the crisis, then destruction will face
everybody.

So the Hadith teaches us that there is no society free from Munkar and corruption and
each corrupted person justifies their corruption by any argument, whether by claiming it
is relieving others of hardship or that it is ‘freedom' or ‘modernity'. Therefore the people
in that society must prevent them from their corruption and save everybody from the
anger of Allah and if they fail to do so the anger of Allah and punishment will reach
everyone. Allah (swt) says

"And fear an affliction which may not smite only those of you in particular who are
unjust; and know that Allah is severe in requiting (evil)." [EMQ Anfaal: 25]

The Hadith says that there are people who want to stand to the Hudud of Allah and some
people who want to compromise it. The prophet (saw) said,

"If the people see an oppressor and do not stop him, the punishment will reach all of
them"
So changing the Munkar must have very strong words, it requires "rejecting and exposing
from all directions and changing with the hand"

Lessons from this Hadith

This Hadith teaches us many Ahkam, Usul, Aqaa'id and topics of Fiqh.

Linguistically:

1) Linguistically, "Al Qa'im hududillah" is among the most beautiful terms. It refers to
those who forbid the evil and are the safeguard of the earth,

2) Then the Hadith says "the example of people who commit evil" referring to those who
disobey Allah and cause Fitnah for others,

3) And he (saw) mentions "akhez bil yadd" that they must stop them by their hands. That
is metaphoric, stressing that the action must be stopped and refuted from every angle with
no room left to justify it.

In Usul ul Fiqh:

4) From the Usuli point of view, this Hadith teaches us the science of Qiyaas, the juristic
analogy. Qiyaas is "to attribute the rule of an old matter to a new matter if they share the
same divine reason". This Hadith teaches us the analogy made by the prophet (saw)
between society and the boat. Indeed the science of analogy is based on this parable and
other Ahadith like this. For example, Umar ibn Khattab said to the prophet (saw),

"Today I did a serious thing; I kissed while I was fasting." The prophet (saw) said, "What
if you rinsed your mouth with water while you were fasting?" he said "that will not affect
my fasting"

So the prophet (saw) explained to Umar using an analogy that kissing does not invalidate
the fast in the way that rinsing your mouth with water does not invalidate the fast.

5) We can also learn a general principle (Qaa'idah Kulliyah) that is derived from this
Hadith, that "Any harm must be removed."

6) We also learn from this Hadith the principle that "we must bear a lesser harm if it will
prevent a greater harm

In this example of the boat, we see that the people of the upper deck are always harmed
by the people of the lower deck but when removing that harm leads to making a hole and
destroying them all, they must bear the harm of going to the upper deck for water
7) Another two principles derived from this principle are that the "harm cannot be
removed by harm.""the harm cannot be removed by something similar." Just as a Munkar
cannot be removed by another Munkar. Or that

8) We also learn that although people could be harmed, they can also bear it in order to
prevent harm coming to other people. From this we learn the principle that "If two harms
coincide with each other, we will consider which is a greater harm and remove it" i.e. we
will choose the easier of the two harms and bear it and remove the greater of the two
because the stronger and greater harm must be prevented by the lesser of the two harms.

In the Fiqh:

9) We also learn a number of Ahkam, such as that it is obligatory to command good and
forbid evil in the society where we live. We are all sailing and we cannot let people cause
harm upon others whether by drilling holes in our ship, by opening night clubs, selling
drugs and alcohol or other Munkaraat. They must be stopped. Allah (swt) says,

"And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right
and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful." [EMQ 3:104]

Abu Sa'eed al Khudree narrated that the prophet (saw) said,

"Whoever saw a Munkar, let him change it by his hand and if he cannot then by his
tongue and if he cannot then with his heart and that is the weakest of Imaan" [Muslim]

There is a consensus that to forbid the Munkar is Fardh and the only one who disputes it
is the Shi'ah Raafidhah. Changing the Munkar by the hand is Fardh al Kifaayah, it is
obliged upon all the people until one or some of them change it and then they are all
blameless. However if none of them did it, they will all be sinful.

Commanding good is to command the good that is absent (i.e. that people are not doing)
Forbidding Munkar is to forbid the Munkar that is present (i.e. that people are doing). So
we cannot just come out speaking about everything, we need to focus on what people are
doing.

However, changing the Munkar by the heart is to hate the Munkar and to hate the people
of the Munkar, i.e. to hate the Deen of ‘freedom', to hate ‘democracy', ‘secularism' etc
and to hate the people who believe in and promote these false religions. This form of
changing the Munkar is Fardh 'ayn upon everybody

10) We also learn Ahkam of trade; that people are allowed to share ownership of a
property.

11) We learn that it is permissible for different people to live on two floors, one on top of
the other
12) We learn that neighbours sharing a building must maintain their relationship in that
house and share responsibility for it.

13) We also learn from this Hadith that it is obligatory upon the neighbour to be patient
and refrain from harming his neighbour, especially if it is going to lead to a greater harm
on both of them.

14) We also learn that someone living beneath others is prohibited from damaging or
demolishing his part of the building if it will make the building unstable or unsafe, even
though it may be his own property.

15) We learn that the people who deserve punishment in the hereafter are those who do
not change the Munkar while they had the capability to do so. That is because the Hadith
mentions that, "if they do not prevent them they will all fall and be failures." That is
explained by a Hadith narrated by Aisha (ra) that the prophet (saw) saw a dream and then
awoke saying,

"I saw something strange, there were people in my Ummah that will be lead by a man of
Quraysh in the Ka'bah, there will be a landslide that will destroy them all, while among
them will be people blind and weak. They will die together and they will be risen on the
day of judgement upon their Niyyah." (i.e. they are all punished together in the earth but
will have a different reward or punishment on the hereafter because they had different
circumstances.)

Also a Hadith of Umm Salamah who asked,

"are we going to be destroyed while there is among us good people?" he said "yes
because the evil has become widespread. They (the good people) will face whatever they
(the sinners) face and on the day of judgement, they will get the mercy of Allah"

16) We learn from the Hadith of Safeenah that people who leave commanding good and
forbidding evil will be considered partners with the sinners in their crime.

17) We learn that there are some people of Bid'ah and people of Hawaa', who although
people might say "give them an excuse" or "they had good intentions", we learn that good
intentions are not enough to save you from punishment as the Hadith mentions that the
people of the lower deck indeed had a good intention, which was not to harm the people
of the upper deck, but that would not save them if they are allowed to sink the ship.

18) We also learn that it is sometimes necessary to make a parable to help people
understand who may never understand in any other way no matter how articulate you are.
19) We learn that one of the styles of the Da'wah and preaching from the Sunnah of the
prophet (saw) is to make use of parables because the people will enjoy the elaboration
and the parable will clarify issues to people and so that they will not become bored.

20) We find that the prophet (saw) made this issue simple for the people to understand
and so we learn that the Daa'ee must simplify his words and terminology, not to show off
or try to impress people with big words that they will not understand or benefit from. It is
narrated that a Bedouin came to the prophet (saw) and asked,

"How can my wife have a black boy and his parents were not black?" he (saw) explained
that "There could be a red camel from parents that are not red"

And so the Messenger (saw) simplified the matter for him by using this parable.

21) We learn also about compromising and caring. Sometimes you may make mudara'ah
during your Da'wah, which is not compromising but is being considerate and gentle. This
Hadith is clear in condemning any form of compromising the Hudud of Allah but the
Daa'ee may sometimes use some soft words to persuade the heart and it is permissible to
treat people nicely. The prophet (saw) is the best teacher for this Ummah and all of
mankind and he said,

"Allah did not send me to make it hard and difficult on the people, he sent me to teach
people and make it easy on them"

So Islam teaches us how to teach people in an easy way and use the best terms when
speaking and explaining things to people. Mu'awiyah narrated,

"I was praying with the prophet one day and someone sneezed and so I said
"yarhamukallah". The people looked at me in anger, so I said "what happened to you?"
they hit their thighs in anger. I never saw a teacher like the prophet (saw), he did not stare
at me or hit me or insult me but at the end of the Salah he said, ‘the Salah is not for
talking in.'"

22) Another lesson on the Hadith is that we should know about the people that we are
inviting so that we can teach them in the best manner. The Hadith describes people who
commit the Munkar; others who are silent about it and another people who beautify and
justify the Munkar, all are blameworthy. It is narrated by ibn Hibbaan that the

"The one who did the Munkar, the one who was silent about it and the one who beautifies
it for them ... (are all sinful)"

23) The Hadith of Safeenah teaches us that we can neither have integration (Indimaaj)
nor isolation (‘Uzlah). (i) If we integrate with the people who make a hole and join them
in their evil, we will be failures and drown all together. (ii) We cannot isolate ourselves
either, "minding our own business", worshipping Allah in seclusion while ignoring what
happens in society. If we do so, that will be equally fatal as there will be nobody to stop
the people in the lower deck from sinking the ship with all its inhabitants.

Rather you must have interaction. You must tell them not to drill a hole or else everyone
will sink and be destroyed. The prophet (saw) is our teacher and the best example in our
life.

Verily there are countless more lessons and benefits that can be derived from this Hadith
and we are indeed blessed with such rich texts that are so heavily loaded with knowledge
and Fiqh. May Allah give us the strength to practise and implement the lessons of this
Hadith and save us from being destroyed with the oppressors and sinners around us.