The Meaning of the Hadith: Islam Began as a Stranger and Will Return as a Stranger

Question:
Yes. She has another question, Shaykh. She asks: What is the meaning of the hadith, "Islam began as a stranger and will return as a stranger as it began, so blessed are the strangers"?

Answer:
The stranger is the one who is in a land other than his own, among people other than his own kin and compatriots, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The meaning of the hadith is that Islam began as a stranger, meaning it began in a state of alienation among people, because it began with the call of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when Allah first sent him, and only a few individuals responded to him, then they increased afterwards, as Allah the Exalted said: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are severe against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves..." up to His saying: "And their likeness in the Gospel is as a crop which brings forth its ear, and strengthens it, then it becomes thick, and stands firm on its stalk, delighting the sowers." So it began in weakness. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked in the beginning of his mission, "Who is with you in this matter?" he said, "A free man and a slave," meaning Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Bilal (may Allah be pleased with them both). Then the followers multiplied and people followed one after another. People entered the religion of Allah in groups, after the conquest of Makkah and the spread of Islam, before the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the Arabian Peninsula. Then its spread continued at the hands of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, the Umayyad state, and the Abbasid state, until it reached the East and the West, as Allah the Exalted said: The religion of Allah has appeared over all religions and in all lands. But in the end times, it will return to being a stranger, as it was a stranger in the beginning, due to the fewness of followers and supporters, and the multitude of those who oppose, blame, and rebuke, even among those who claim Islam. Thus, the true Muslim becomes a stranger among those who claim Islam, so how much more so among the disbelievers? This is the meaning of his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):