Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2271
sahih

Narrated Abu Musa:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The example of Muslims, Jews and Christians is like the example of a man who employed laborers to work for him from morning till night for specific wages. They worked till midday and then said, 'We do not need your money which you have fixed for us and let whatever we have done be annulled.' The man said to them, 'Don't quit the work, but complete the rest of it and take your full wages.' But they refused and went away. The man employed another batch after them and said to them, 'Complete the rest of the day and yours will be the wages I had fixed for the first batch.' So, they worked till the time of `Asr prayer. Then they said, "Let what we have done be annulled and keep the wages you have promised us for yourself.' The man said to them, 'Complete the rest of the work, as only a little of the day remains,' but they refused. Thereafter he employed another batch to work for the rest of the day and they worked for the rest of the day till the sunset, and they received the wages of the two former batches. So, that was the example of those people (Muslims) and the example of this light (guidance) which they have accepted willingly.

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْعَلاَءِ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، عَنْ بُرَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏

‏ مَثَلُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ اسْتَأْجَرَ قَوْمًا يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ عَمَلاً يَوْمًا إِلَى اللَّيْلِ عَلَى أَجْرٍ مَعْلُومٍ، فَعَمِلُوا لَهُ إِلَى نِصْفِ النَّهَارِ فَقَالُوا لاَ حَاجَةَ لَنَا إِلَى أَجْرِكَ الَّذِي شَرَطْتَ لَنَا، وَمَا عَمِلْنَا بَاطِلٌ، فَقَالَ لَهُمْ لاَ تَفْعَلُوا أَكْمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ عَمَلِكُمْ، وَخُذُوا أَجْرَكُمْ كَامِلاً، فَأَبَوْا وَتَرَكُوا، وَاسْتَأْجَرَ أَجِيرَيْنِ بَعْدَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُمَا أَكْمِلاَ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِكُمَا هَذَا، وَلَكُمَا الَّذِي شَرَطْتُ لَهُمْ مِنَ الأَجْرِ‏.‏ فَعَمِلُوا حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ حِينُ صَلاَةِ الْعَصْرِ قَالاَ لَكَ مَا عَمِلْنَا بَاطِلٌ، وَلَكَ الأَجْرُ الَّذِي جَعَلْتَ لَنَا فِيهِ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لَهُمَا أَكْمِلاَ بَقِيَّةَ عَمَلِكُمَا، فَإِنَّ مَا بَقِيَ مِنَ النَّهَارِ شَىْءٌ يَسِيرٌ‏.‏ فَأَبَيَا، وَاسْتَأْجَرَ قَوْمًا أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا لَهُ بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمْ، فَعَمِلُوا بَقِيَّةَ يَوْمِهِمْ حَتَّى غَابَتِ الشَّمْسُ، وَاسْتَكْمَلُوا أَجْرَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كِلَيْهِمَا، فَذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ وَمَثَلُ مَا قَبِلُوا مِنْ هَذَا النُّورِ ‏

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References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 37, Hadith 11
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 36, Hadith 471 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Allah, Exalted is He, sent Muhammad ﷺ as the last of all the Prophets, rendered his message (i.e., Islam) the concluding divine message, and commanded all humankind to follow him. Therefore, it is incumbent on all people, including the Jews and Christians, to follow the religion of Islam. Alas, most of the Jews and Christians refused to follow it, disbelieved in what was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ, and rather adhered to their distorted books. In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ gave a similitude of the situation of Muslims, Jews and Christians. He ﷺ likened their situation to a man who had hired some people to do some work for him till the night, and promised them specified wages. They worked till midday, refused to complete their work, and then said to the employer, 'We do not need your money which you have fixed for us, and let whatever we have done be annulled.' Meaning that they annulled their agreement and would not ask him for any payment. The man said to them, 'Do not quit the work; complete the rest of it and take your full wages,' but they refused. These people symbolized the Jews, and this indicates that they had disbelieved, turned away from the truth, and Allah, Exalted is He, has turned them down. It also indicates that their good deeds were rendered void and worthless when they disbelieved in Prophet ‘Eesaa (Jesus) and distorted the divine law revealed to them; they were denied their full rewards due to their defiant refrainment from completing their duties and for not honoring their commitment. The man employed another batch to complete the task and said to them, 'Complete the rest of (the work till the end of) the day and yours will be the wages I had fixed for the first batch.' They worked till the time of ‘Asr prayer, and then did as the previous group did! These people symbolized the Christians. Thereafter he employed another batch to work for the rest of the day, and they completed the work till the sunset, and received the wages of the two former batches. They (symbolizing Muslims) deserved the wages (rewards) of the two previous batches due to their belief in the three Prophets Muhammad, Moosaa, and ‘Eesaa ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The example of those people (Muslims) and the example of this light (guidance) which they have accepted willingly,” meaning that this is the similitude of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in accepting Islam, and following the light of (the divine) guidance. Since Muslims acknowledged the truth with which Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent and adhered to it unto the Day of Resurrection, they deserved the rewards of the believers who would have adhered to the truth since the beginning of time till its end, because they completed the task for the rest of the appointed time, devoting worship exclusively to Allah, Exalted is He, like what the third batch of workers did when they completed the work for which the first batch (Jews) were originally hired. The hadeeth highlights the special honor and divine bestowal conferred upon Muslims and that they are promised abundant rewards for their few good deeds. It is also deduced from the hadeeth that a person's deeds are judged according to the concluding and final ones. It is also inferred therefrom that it is permissible to give examples and similitudes for education and amplification purposes..
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