"No time comes but the one after it is worse than it." Is this general in all circumstances?
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The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, not in every case. That is not possible, because it may be the case in one land and not in another, yes, in one land and not in another, but not in terms of the general statement and comprehensiveness.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I mean, this possibility does not contradict the hadith, yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Does this hadith apply specifically to the rulers, as some scholars have said?
The Shaykh : It is possible, and we have said this before as well, and it is likely in your mind. Yes, but we say: the criterion is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause. It is true that Anas ibn Malik used it as evidence for the story of al-Hajjaj, that he was worse than those before him, and that the one after him would be worse than him. But even this is not useful, because it is rare to find anything like it; it is rare to find an emir or ruler who did what al-Hajjaj did, especially in what came after him as well. Yes. 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), in his time, there was nothing of the sort; he did not do what al-Hajjaj did. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. It is reported from some of the Tabi'un that when they heard the Qur'an, they would faint, or perhaps die, and we do not find this in some of the Companions. Does this imply superiority?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : No, not in every case. That is not possible, because it may be the case in one land and not in another, yes, in one land and not in another, but not in terms of the general statement and comprehensiveness.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I mean, this possibility does not contradict the hadith, yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Does this hadith apply specifically to the rulers, as some scholars have said?
The Shaykh : It is possible, and we have said this before as well, and it is likely in your mind. Yes, but we say: the criterion is the generality of the wording, not the specificity of the cause. It is true that Anas ibn Malik used it as evidence for the story of al-Hajjaj, that he was worse than those before him, and that the one after him would be worse than him. But even this is not useful, because it is rare to find anything like it; it is rare to find an emir or ruler who did what al-Hajjaj did, especially in what came after him as well. Yes. 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz (may Allah have mercy on him), in his time, there was nothing of the sort; he did not do what al-Hajjaj did. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. It is reported from some of the Tabi'un that when they heard the Qur'an, they would faint, or perhaps die, and we do not find this in some of the Companions. Does this imply superiority?