The Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ will remain upright until the end of time: Explaining istiqama.
In the famous hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:
قال رسول الله ﷺ:
مَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ به خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ في الدِّينِ، وإنَّما أنا قاسِمٌ واللَّهُ يُعْطِي، ولَنْ يَزالَ أمْرُ هذِه الأُمَّةِ مُسْتَقِيمًا حتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ، أوْ: حتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ.
When Allah intends good for someone, He gives him understanding of the religion. I am only the distributor, but Allah is the One who grants. The affairs of this Ummah will remain upright until the Hour is established or until Allah’s command comes.
(Bukhari)
Whoever Allah wishes good for, He gives Him understanding of the religion
We are very familiar with the first part of this hadith – whoever Allah wishes good for, He grants him understanding of the religion. Just this part of the hadith alone, has generated a plethora of work on the importance of seeking knowledge and its virtues, including the book, Jaami’ bayaan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlihi by the great muhaddithun and a Maliki scholar, Ibn Abdul Barr (may Allah have mercy on him). He stressed the merit of seeking it, and the praise of striving for it and taking care of it. This part of the hadith is so weighty that it is cited as one of the evidences that knowledge is a pillar of our religion. However, this is not the focus of my topic. It is the third part.
I am only a distributor
In the second part of the hadith, the Prophet ﷺ is saying ‘I am only a distributor’, which means that whatever he ﷺ shared, whether it was wealth, knowledge or revelation, was according to Allah’s commands, not based on own inclinations, or favouritism.
رضي الله عنه قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:
ما أُعْطِيكُمْ، ولا أَمْنَعُكُمْ؛ إنَّما أنا قَاسِمٌ، أَضَعُ حيثُ أُمِرْتُ.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“It is not I who give to you or withhold from you; I am only a distributor, allocating (what I am given) exactly as I am commanded.”
(Bukhari)
Imam al-Mulla ʿAli al-Qari (may Allah have mercy on him) said ‘I do not give you nor withhold from you’ means ‘I do not give anyone anything due to my own personal inclination, nor do I withhold something because my heart is not inclined toward it.’ Rather, all of this is by the command of Allah, the Exalted. And he ﷺ mentioned the two verbs in the present tense rather than the past, indicating continuity in all situations and times.
The affairs of the Ummah until the Hour is established
Next, the Prophet ﷺ goes on to state that the affairs of this Ummah will remain upright until the Day of Judgement. Yet, when we look around, we see corruption is widespread – from the east to the west, all the way from the top to the bottom.
Allah stated in the Quran:
ظَهَرَ ٱلۡفَسَادُ فِي ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ
أَيۡدِي ٱلنَّاسِ لِيُذِيقَهُم بَعۡضَ ٱلَّذِي عَمِلُواْ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ
Corruption has spread across land and in the sea as a result of people’s actions and He will make them taste the consequences of some of their own actions so that they may turn back. (Ar Rum, 30:41)
This shows the extent of the corruption, as it has spread not just across the land but also over sea, meaning there is no where left that is uncorrupted. Corruption has engulfed the whole earth. Consequently, we see injustice and oppression everywhere. This is what makes me wonder, why the Prophet ﷺ said that the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ will remain upright. Allah commanded believers to stay firm in defending the truth, no matter what the circumstances. It is not a choice to stay strong. In Surat Hud, Allah said to the Prophet ﷺ:
فَٱسۡتَقِمۡ كَمَاۤ أُمِرۡتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطۡغَوۡا۟ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ بَصِیرࣱ
So be upright (stand firm) as you have been commanded, along with whoever has repented with you, and do not exceed all limits; indeed, He is All-Seeing of what you do.
(Hud, 11:112)
Therefore, no matter how much corruption is choking and suffocating us, or difficulties come our way and obstacles block our path, we have to be strong. This is why we repeat in our salah, at least 17 times a day, Ihdinas siratal mustaqeem, “Guide us the Straight Path”. (1:6) We have to follow the Straight Path. The master of optimism was the Prophet ﷺ. He told us, no matter what happens in the world, the Ummah will be protected from going astray, meaning, not necessarily each individual, but his Ummah as a group.
Stay firm – no matter what
Do not let anything shake your imaan, even though we have been shaken to the core by what is happening in the world over the last few years. Injustice will not last. This is what the Prophet ﷺ indirectly said to the Ummah. Despite all the attacks on us, guidance will remain with the Ummah. They will stay upright in their belief in Allah. Where is Allah? Can’t He see the injustices everywhere? Of course, He can. The injustice will only last for a particular period. It is out of Allah’s wisdom that He has allowed people a chance to come back to their sanity and humanity. It is not a battle of law or courts, but consciences. It has put us everyone under the spotlight: are we people of dignity, principles and integrity or not? Though we have many challenges, we should not be reckless, but wise and strong. We cannot be strong if we are divided. Therefore, we have to be united, not just as believers, but as humanity.
Unite for justice
We have to support justice regardless of our beliefs. The Prophet ﷺ was part of the coalition for justice, Hilf al Fudul, (The Alliance of the Virtuous) before the revelation, and he ﷺ said he ﷺ would have joined them even after the revelation came, because it was based on the principles of establishing justice. Any society becomes a strong community when it has its values in place and in practice. The third thing is that we need to be strong in our narrative. Do not allow anyone to dictate your narrative.
Take ownership of our narrative
We need to have ownership of our narrative. No one has the right to dictate to us our narrative. So we need to come together as a community, and explain our concerns for our own community.
1500 years ago, the birth of the Prophet ﷺ signaled the birth of optimism for his Ummah and all generations who come after us. He taught us that if we cling to the truth, deliver the truth and maintain justice and adhere to our principles, our affairs will remain upright.
What is istiqama?
Istiqamah (being upright) includes:
Firmness of belief
The foundation of tawheed will neither vanish nor disappear.
Preservation of the Shariah
Scholars and jurists will continue to clarify the truth, establish the proof, and keep the religion clear, so we know the right values morals and reason with the correct methodology, so we can maintain truth and justice.
The Presence of a Victorious Group
A group will always cling to the truth and strive in Allah’s path; those who oppose or abandon them will not harm them.
General Righteousness in the Ummah
This does not mean that every Muslim will remain guided, but rather that goodness and the Straight Path will remain within the Ummah, even if scarce in some times and places.
This uprightness does not mean absolute perfection, but rather the continual uprightness of the methodology and the perpetual presence of those who carry the truth, until the Day of Judgment.
Speak out against unfairness and injustice nationally and internationally
The people of Gaza continue to be attacked. The international community is not doing enough. 140 people who have been killed in Gaza and half of those were children. We will not give up. Our Ummah has to stay firm and strong in asking for justice for any person or nation who is oppressed.
May Allah make us from among those who are upright, and who uphold truth and justice. Ameen.
Based on the khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 31st Oct 2025