Aboo Daawood said in his Sunan, Awwul-Ma’bood (11/385):
Start of the Book of Battles
Chapter: What is Mentioned about Each Century
Sulaymaan ibn Daawood – Mahryy, related to us: Ibn Wahb
related to us: Sa’eed ibn Abee Ayyoob related to me: from Shuraheel ibn
Yazweed al-Ma’aafiriyy: from Aboo ’Alqamah: from Aboo Hurairah
– as best I know from Allaah’s Messenger,
sallallaahu alaihi wa
sallam, who said, "Allaah will raise for this Ummah at the head of
every hundred years, he/those who will revive its religion for it."
’Awnul-Ma’bood (11/385-396) of al-Azeemabaadee.
"’At the head of every hundred years
…’" i.e., its end or its beginning – when knowledge
and the sunnah becomes scarce and ignorance and innovation become
widespread – said by al-Qaaree." "He/those who will revive
its religion for it …" "i.e., make the sunnah clear
from innovation and increase knowledge and aid its people and curb and subdue
the innovators." "Al-Alqmaee said in his explanation that the meaning
of tajdeed (revival) is revival of action upon the Book and the
Sunnah and command in accordance with them – that had been
effaced."
"Note: Know that what is meant by the head of the hundred
in this hadeeth is its completion. The author of Majma’ul-Bihaar
said, "What is meant is one who is alive and a well-known scholar, and
at-Teebee said, ‘What is meant by his being raised/sent is one who is
alive and a scholar of note when the hundred is completed – this is what
occurs in the introduction of Fathul-Qadeer of al-Manaawee and
Khulaasatul-Athaar of Muhyee. And as-Suyooytee said in his poem about the
revivers , ‘And the condition for that is that the hundred should pass and
he is alive amongst the people – known as being a person having standing
in knowledge, and propogating the Sunnah with his speech.’
And the author of Mirqaatus-Su’ood quotes Ibn
al-Atheer as saying, "And what is meant by the one mentioned is one who is
alive, known, famous and pointed out when the hundred finishes. And the clear
proof that what is meant by the head of the hundred is their end, not their
beginning is that az-Zuhree, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal and others from the earlier
and later Imaams are agreed that from the revivers at the head of the first
hundred was ’Umar ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez, rahimahullaah, and
at the end of the second hundred was Imaam ash-Shaafi’ee,
rahimahullaah, and ’Umar ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez died in the
year 101 at the age of forty – and his khilaafah lasted for two and
a half years, and ash-Shaafi’ee died in the year 204 at the age of
fifty-four.
Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr said in Tawaaliyyut-Ta‘sees,
Aboo Bakr al-Bazzaar said, "I heard ’Abdul-Malik ibn
’Abdul-Hameed al-Maymoonee say, ‘I was with Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and
ash-Shaafi’ee was mentioned. So I saw Ahmad extolling him, and he said,
‘It is related that the Prophet, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam,
said, "Allaah will provide one at the head of every hundred years
one who will teach the people their Religion."’ Ahmad said,
‘So for the first century there was ’Umar ibn
’Abdul-’Azeez and for the second century was
ash-Shaafi’ee.’’"
And by way of Sa’eed al-Firyaabee who said, "Ahmad
ibn Hanbal said, ‘Allaah will provide for the people in every hundred
years one who will teach the people the matters of the Sunnah, and rebut
lies from the Prophet,
sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam. So we looked and saw
that ’Umar ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez was at the head of the first
hundred, and at the end of the second was ash-Shaafi’ee …
So if you say: what is apparent from the language with regard
to the meaning of, ‘… the head of the century …’
(ra‘sul-mi‘ah) is its beginningn not its end – then how
can its end be what is meant?
I say: Rather it occurs in the language also that it can mean
the end. The author of Taajul-’Aroos, said, "The head of a
thing is its extremity, and it is said, ‘Its end.’" I say: And
upon this is the hadeeth of Ibn ’Umar, "Do you see this
night of yours? Then at the head of a hundred years from it, no-one is alive
upon the face of the earth will remain." Reported by the two
Shaikhs."
And al-Haafidh said in Fathul-Baaree in explanation of
the head of the century, "Meaning: at the end of the century."
"The author of Majaalisul-Abraar said, ‘And
what is meant by revival of that which has been effaced from action upon the
Book and the Sunnah and command according to them,’ and he said in
it, ‘And that reviver (mujaddid) will not be known except by
preponderance of opinion of those scholars who live in his time – due to
his condition and the benefit that is derived from his knowledge – since
the reviver (mujaddid) must be one having knowledge of the branches of
knowledge of the Religion, that which is apparent and that which is not
apparent, aiding the Sunnah (naasirun lis-Sunnah), cutting off
innovation, and that his knowledge is recognised by the people of his time
…"
So it is clear that the mujaddid will not be except one
who is a scholar of the branches of knowledge of the Religion and along with
that strives and gives great attention day and night to reviving matters of the
Sunnah and spreading it, and aiding its companion, and killing-off
innovation and new matters and effacing them and routing its people with the
tongue, or by writing books, or teaching, or so on – and one who is not
like that can in no way be a mujaddid – even if he is a scholar of
Religious sciences, famous amongst the people and referred to by them
…"
"Further Note: And know that it is not essential that at
the head of each century there should only be a single reviver, rather it is
possible for there to be more than one. Al-Haafidh Ibn Hajr said in
Tawaaliyut-Ta‘sees, ‘Some scholars have taken this
hadeeth to refer to more than a single person, and it is possible from
the wording of the hadeeth which we have quoted … since the
hadeeth indicates that the revival indicated is general for all the
people of that time. And this was very possible with regard to ’Umar ibn
’Abdul-’Azeez and then ash-Shaafi’ee. But as for those who
came after that, then they had others to share with them."
He said in Fathul-Baaree, "And it (i.e., taking the
hadeeth to refer to more than one person) is allowable since those
qualities requiring revival are not restricted to one type of good, and it is
not essential that all of the qualities of good come together in a single person
– unless that is claimed for ’Umar ibn ’Abdul-’Azeez
– since he was the one in charge of the affairs at the end of the first
century, and he possessed all the qualities of good and had precedence in them.
Therefore Ahmad said that they took the hadeeth to mean him. But as for
those who came after him, then ash-Shaafi’ee even though he had excellent
qualities, yet he was not in charge of Jihaad or of
judging with justice – so upon this anyone having part of these qualities
at the end of the century is referred to, whether a number of people or
not."