The eagerness of the Companions to convey knowledge, even while on their deathbeds.

The Shaykh : ... The text of it, after he said: "You are the group about whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said what he said. Rejoice. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: .
This actually benefits us in that it shows the Companions were eager to convey knowledge even in their final breaths; otherwise, there would be no occasion for Abu Dharr to narrate such a hadith. Then, there is another point here: we know that the Companions, despite their eagerness to convey knowledge to people, believed and were careful not to spread hadiths related to encouragement (targhib). So one of them would not narrate such hadiths except to clear his conscience, and that was in his final breaths. This is an example of that. In "Sahih Muslim," it is mentioned that when the Messenger (peace be upon him) gave Mu'adh good news in the well-known story that: . It is said that Mu'adh did not narrate it except at the end of his life out of fear of sin; meaning, he feared falling into the sin of concealing knowledge. Similarly, others, such as 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit, as I recall, in "Sahih Muslim"—also—Abu Hurayrah—also—said: "If it were not for a verse in the Book of Allah, I would not have told you this hadith," and he mentioned the verse: to its end, and he mentioned the hadith: . It is possible that Abu Dharr's narration of this hadith falls under this category; because it contains good news: . This is a very great good news, and narrating it without clarification or commentary—such as saying, for example: "This does not mean that he entered Paradise and did not enter the Fire at all, if he was a doer of the ninety-nine [sins], that he would not be punished for that or reckoned; rather, the matter has details according to the person, according to the magnitude of his sins. But such good news certainly indicates that whoever is among its people will enter Paradise, without fail. But among them, some enter it after having been in the Fire, blackened by its heat. And some enter the Fire, being touched by a little of its punishment, then come out of it. And some, and some, do not feel it at all. We ask Allah to make us among the latter."

Those present: Amen.

The Shaykh : The point is: In this hadith, there is very great good news, so the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not narrate such things except in the final breaths of their lives.
When he narrated this hadith to them, he followed it by saying—may Allah be pleased with him: "Then I have become today as you see—meaning, alone in this wilderness—and if I had a garment from my clothes that would suffice for my shroud, I would not be shrouded except in it. So I call upon you by Allah, that no man among you who was a headman (arif), or an emir, or a courier, shrouds me."
Why does Abu Dharr stipulate that no one from this group shroud Abu Dharr, if he had taken on a position from these positions; whether he was an emir over a town, or a headman over a group, or a courier?
It appears that he is referring to what was previously indicated in the hadith of Khubayb ibn al-Art; because they would have eaten from their salaries, so their work would not be complete, nor their reward full with Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He). It is also possible that he meant by that that few are safe from exploiting these positions and these authorities in an impermissible way, especially in this time; we hardly find an emir who does not engage in his emirate and authority, nor a headman nor a courier. We find today some employees who have state cars for the service of the state, and he serves himself and his family and children, and takes leisure rides on them, and at whose expense? The state. This is exploitation, of course, which is not permissible in Islam. This type, while we cannot deny its existence in some of the predecessors, we are certain that they were not as extensive in it in quantity and quality as is the case today with these later people. But some individuals may exist; therefore, Abu Dharr was cautious—and this is from his asceticism and scrupulousness—and he requested that no one who had taken on any of these positions shroud him. So a young man from the Ansar was found who said to him: "I am your companion. This is from my mother's weaving, and this garment is from my private clothes. I will shroud you in them." He said: "You are my companion."
So reflect and look at how the righteous Salaf lived, and how they were scrupulous about doubtful matters; then measure yourselves, and you will find the difference vast. Consequently, you will find that the fruits we harvest are fruits other than the fruits those people harvested. They bequeathed to us those fruits through their struggle in the path of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), whereas we have wasted them, and with that, we have lost much of our religion. Indeed, among us are those who have lost both this world and the Hereafter; that is the clear loss.
This amount is sufficient for the lesson on "Encouragement and Warning." I find myself compelled, despite not wanting to speak much, but considering that the questions the professor answered in the previous lesson are few in number, I must take on answering one question; because it is related here to the science of hadith. Perhaps our brothers in the coming lessons will continue to answer the old questions and then the new ones.