Fleeing with One's Faith to the Mountains
Partly
In brief
A time will come when a Muslim's best wealth is a flock of sheep he takes up to the mountain tops and the places where rain falls, running away with his religion from the trials around him. The narration is in Sahih al-Bukhari.
It describes times when fitnah becomes general, and such times come more than once. Ibn Hajar reads it as praise for protecting one's faith when trials are everywhere, not as a standing order to abandon society. A believer steps back only as far as needed to keep his religion safe, and comes back to do good when he can.
Hold your faith dearer than your standing or wealth; when trials cannot be stilled, withdraw enough to protect your religion without abandoning your duties to others.
Where it sits in the sequence
The narrations do not put these in order, and many of them overlap. Sahih al-Bukhari 7121 lists several together.
Strongest narrations
Read all in the archive →Tags are automatic and unreviewed.
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمَاجِشُونُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي صَعْصَعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَهُ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ خَيْرُ مَالِ الرَّجُلِ الْمُسْلِمِ الْغَنَمُ، يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ وَمَوَاقِعَ الْقَطْرِ، يَفِرُّ بِدِينِهِ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ ".
Narrated Abu Sa`id:I heard from the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "There will come a time upon the people when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and to the places of rainfall, run away with his religion (in order to save it) from afflictions
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي صَعْصَعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَيْرَ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ غَنَمٌ، يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ وَمَوَاقِعَ الْقَطْرِ، يَفِرُّ بِدِينِهِ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ ".
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will come a time when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from the afflictions
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ أَبِي صَعْصَعَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَيْرُ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ غَنَمًا يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ وَمَوَاقِعَ الْقَطْرِ يَفِرُّ بِدِينِهِ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ " .
Narrated Abu Sa’id Al Khudri :The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: A Muslim's best property will soon be sheep which he will take to the tops of the mountains and the places where the rain falls, fleeing with his religion from the civil strife (fitan)
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ أَبَا سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيَّ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " يُوشِكُ أَنْ يَكُونَ خَيْرَ مَالِ الْمُسْلِمِ غَنَمٌ يَتْبَعُ بِهَا شَعَفَ الْجِبَالِ وَمَوَاقِعَ الْقَطْرِ يَفِرُّ بِدِينِهِ مِنَ الْفِتَنِ " .
It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:“Soon the best wealth of a Muslim will be sheep which he follows in the mountain peaks and places where rainfall is to be found, fleeing for the sake of his religion from tribulations.”
Weak and ungraded reports on this sign
4
Shown for study, not as established. Includes Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad, which is ungraded and weak overall.
Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad: ungraded, and weak overall. Never established on its own.
يوشك أن يكون خير مال امرئ مسلم غنم يتبع بها شعف الجبال ومواقع القطر، يفر بدينه من الفتن
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will come a time when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from the afflictions
Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad: ungraded, and weak overall. Never established on its own.
خير الناس في الفتنة أهل شاء سود، يرعين في شعف الجبال، ومواقع القطر، وشر الناس فيها كل راكب موضع، وكل خطيب مسقع
The best people in turmoil are black people who graze on the tops of the mountains and in the countryside, and the worst people in it are every rider in a place, and every preacher in a place.
Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad: ungraded, and weak overall. Never established on its own.
يوشك أن يكون خير مال امرئ غنم يتبع بها شعف الجبال، أو شعب الجبال، أو مواقع القطر، يفر بدينه من الفتن
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will come a time when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from the afflictions
Kitab al-Fitan of Nu'aym ibn Hammad: ungraded, and weak overall. Never established on its own.
يوشك أن يكون خير مال المسلم غنم يتبع بها شعف الجبال ومواقع القطر، يفر بدينه من الفتن
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al-Khudri:Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "There will come a time when the best property of a Muslim will be sheep which he will take to the tops of mountains and the places of rainfall so as to flee with his religion from the afflictions
What scholars have said
Scholars cite it in part, or differ
Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalanid. 852 AH (773-852 AH)
Reads the hadith as praise for withdrawing from tribulation with one's religion intact: when fitnah becomes general, a believer may be safest keeping flocks on the hilltops and places of rain, away from the discord of the towns. He cautions it is not a blanket command to abandon society, but guidance when trials cannot be escaped otherwise.
Fath al-Bari, on Sahih al-Bukhari 19 & 6495
Meaning and context
The Prophet ﷺ said a time would come when the best wealth of a Muslim is a flock he keeps on the hilltops, fleeing with his faith from trials. Scholars read it as praise for guarding one's religion in fitnah, not a command to abandon society.
Narrations behind this panel: Sahih al-Bukhari 6495 · Sahih al-Bukhari 7088
What the commentators said it means
- Praise for protecting one's faith when fitnah becomes general, withdrawing only as far as keeping the religion safe requires: Ibn Hajar.
- Not a standing command to leave society; the believer returns to good and company when the trial has passed.
Read with care
- A sign is not a ruling; this neither condemns town life nor obliges isolation.
Draft: figures and wording await a researcher's check and the scholar board.