What is the meaning of the hadith: “The people of Yemen have come to you...”? And the interpretation of Najd as being Iraq?

The questioner : The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, narrated by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) say: , what is the meaning of the hadith?

The Shaykh : The hadith is long; which point of the hadith do you want?

The questioner : The hadith: ?

The Shaykh : ؟

The questioner : ؟

The Shaykh : This last phrase of the hadith is clarified by other hadiths. As for “The people of Yemen have come to you; they are the softest of hearts and the most tender of feelings, and wisdom is Yemeni—or faith is Yemeni—and wisdom is Yemeni”; this is a merit for Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him) and his people, because they were characterized by these traits. It is not appropriate to imagine that all the people of Yemen possess this characteristic, because among them were those who were the opposite, as is known from the story of Musaylimah the Liar and his like.

Another questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Yes?

Another questioner : ...the people of Najran...

The Shaykh : Yes, so this is a description of some of the Companions of the Messenger (peace be upon him), led by Abu Musa and the Yemenis who were with him who embraced Islam.
As for the story of the people of the eastern plains; what indicates this is the collection of hadiths that were transmitted, namely that they are the people of Iraq. At that time, they were owners of camels and camel herders, and generally these people are harsh of heart. In this regard, there is a hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in which he said: He said that three times (peace and blessings be upon him). They said: “And what about our Najd, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: . A sound narration that explains their saying to the Messenger (peace be upon him)—they said: “And what about our Najd, O Messenger of Allah?”—came with the wording: “They said: And what about our Iraq, O Messenger of Allah?” So this wording, “And what about our Iraq,” is what is intended in the first narration, “And what about our Najd,” and the people intended in this hadith are the people of the eastern plains, in the direction of the east. Also, the hadith came from the narration of Ibn Umar in “Sahih Muslim” that a man came to Ibn Umar and said—and this is a strange question—“What do you say about the fly that falls on the garment?” The fly is known to fall on filth and impurities, so he is asking about this impurity that is not visible to the naked eye: if the fly falls in this person’s garment, what do you say, O Ibn Umar? He said: “O people of Iraq—and here is the point—why do you ask me about the small matter, while you commit the great one?” He was referring to their killing of al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). So you are from among these people who commit these major sins and do not care about them, and then you ask about the fly falling on the garment, whether the garment becomes impure or not? “O people of Iraq, why do you ask me about the small matter, while you commit the great one?” I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) say, while pointing to the east—and in a narration to Iraq: . So the hadiths explain one another, and they indicate that the people intended by these hadiths are the people of Iraq, and history confirms these narrations.

Another questioner : Is the hadith authentic: ?

The Shaykh : There is a hadith in “Musnad Abu Ya’la,” but I do not recall its status right now.