حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ الدِّمَشْقِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا بِشْرُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جَابِرٍ، حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَبْدِ السَّلَامِ، عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: يُوشِكُ الْأُمَمُ أَنْ تَدَاعَى عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا تَدَاعَى الْأَكَلَةُ إِلَى قَصْعَتِهَا. فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: وَمِنْ قِلَّةٍ نَحْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ؟ قَالَ: بَلْ أَنْتُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ كَثِيرٌ، وَلَكِنَّكُمْ غُثَاءٌ كَغُثَاءِ السَّيْلِ، وَلَيَنْزِعَنَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ صُدُورِ عَدُوِّكُمُ الْمَهَابَةَ مِنْكُمْ، وَلَيَقْذِفَنَّ اللَّهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمُ الْوَهْنَ. فَقَالَ قَائِلٌ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَمَا الْوَهْنُ؟ قَالَ: حُبُّ الدُّنْيَا وَكَرَاهِيَةُ الْمَوْتِ

Book [39]: The book of battles (Kitāb al-Malāḥim)
Chapter [5]: Nations summoning one another to attack Muslims

Ḥadīth [4297]: It is narrated on the authority of Thawbān (may Allāh be pleased with him) that he said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The people will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their dish.” Someone asked: Will that be because of our small numbers at that time? He replied: “No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be scum and rubbish like that carried down by a torrent, and Allāh will take fear of you from the breasts of your enemy and last enervation (wahn) into your hearts.” Someone asked: What is wahn? O Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him). He replied: “Love of the world and dislike of death.”

Only Allāh makes the disbelievers fear the believers, and only when they are worthy of the name “believers.” And this remains true only as long as they abide by the true teachings of the religion. It is only through that prescription that they were blessed with success in this life and the Hereafter from their Lord. The more the Muslims go away from their religion, from the teachings in the sunnah, the more their enemies become fearless of them, and no matter what they do beyond following the sunnah, they will never have the ability to bring about other than humiliation.

• Reference: [4297 (4/515-516), Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Dārussalām (Eng)]

• Musnad Aḥmad (22397 (36/82-83)) [Shu’ayb al-Arna’ūṭ]
• Musnad Aḥmad (22396 (16/295)) [Aḥmad Shākir]
• Musnad Abī Dāwūd Ṭayālisī (1085 (2/333))
• Muṣannaf ibn Abī Shaybah (40030 (21/238))
• Shu’ab al-Īmān (9887 (13/16))
• Al-Mu’jam al-Kabīr (1452 (2/102-103)
• Sharḥ as-Sunnah (4224 (15/16))
• Ḥilyatul Awliyā’ (1/182)
• Mishkāt al Maṣābiḥ (5369)
• Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi’ (8183 (2/1359))
• Silsilah Aḥādīth aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥah (958 (2/647-648))
• Ibn Abī ‘Āṣim’s az-Zuhd (268 (1/134))

Grade:

• Ṣaḥīḥ by Shaykh al-Albānī (Sunan Abī Dawūd, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi & Silsilah Aḥādīth aṣ-Ṣaḥīḥah)
• Ṣaḥīḥ by Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar ad-Da’wah, New Delhi (Sunan Abī Dawūd)
• Ṣaḥīḥ isnād by Shaykh Aḥmad Shākir (Musnad Aḥmad)
• Ḥasan by Ḥāfiẓ Zubayr ʿAlī Za’ī (Sunan Abī Dawūd & Mishkāt al Maṣābiḥ)
• Ḥasan isnād by Shaykh Shu’ayb al-Arna’ūṭ (Musnad Aḥmad)