Friday Sermon: Hadith of the Sinking Ship | Imam Omar Suleiman

“…There’s an African proverb which is very profound, and it fits – Subhan Allah- directly with this hadith; that if the youth are not initiated into the village, then they will burn it down just to feel its warmth.

Why? Because if the young are not given room to grow and contribute in a society, then they have nothing to lose when it burns down. If anything, it gives them some sort of satisfaction that a community that wouldn’t listen to when they were being constructive, will suffer with them when they’re being destructive.”

An-Nu’man ibn Bashir reported: The Prophet, said, “The parable of those who respect the limits of Allah and those who violate them is that of people who board a ship after casting lots, some of them residing in its upper deck and others in its lower deck. When those in the lower deck want water, they pass by the upper deck and say: If we tear a hole in the bottom of the ship, we will not harm those above us. If those in the upper deck let them do what they want, then they will all be destroyed together. If the people do not stop them, they will all fall and be failures, but if they stop them they will all be saved.”

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2361

عن النعمان بن بشير رضي الله عنهما عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ مَثَلُ الْقَائِمِ عَلَى حُدُودِ اللَّهِ وَالْوَاقِعِ فِيهَا كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا عَلَى سَفِينَةٍ فَأَصَابَ بَعْضُهُمْ أَعْلَاهَا وَبَعْضُهُمْ أَسْفَلَهَا فَكَانَ الَّذِينَ فِي أَسْفَلِهَا إِذَا اسْتَقَوْا مِنْ الْمَاءِ مَرُّوا عَلَى مَنْ فَوْقَهُمْ فَقَالُوا لَوْ أَنَّا خَرَقْنَا فِي نَصِيبِنَا خَرْقًا وَلَمْ نُؤْذِ مَنْ فَوْقَنَا فَإِنْ يَتْرُكُوهُمْ وَمَا أَرَادُوا هَلَكُوا جَمِيعًا وَإِنْ أَخَذُوا عَلَى أَيْدِيهِمْ نَجَوْا وَنَجَوْا جَمِيعًا

2361 صحيح البخاري كتاب الشركة باب هل يقرع في القسمة والاستهام فيه