📘 ❞ The Ghurabah The Strangers ❝ كتاب

عن كتاب The Ghurabah The Strangers:

All praise is for Allaah and may the peace and blessings of Allaah be on His Final Messenger, his family
and those who follow him in goodness until the Day of Recompense. To Proceed.
This book is a translation of a short treatise entitled Kashf-ul-Kurbah fee wasfi Haali Ahlil-Ghurbah, or

Alleviating Grievances in Describing the Condition of the Strangers, written by the great Imaam, Al-
Haafidh Zayn-ud-Deen Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbalee, rahimahullaah.

In this treatise, Ibn Rajab deals with the topic of the Strangers, or Al-Ghurabaa. He begins by listing the
many ahaadeeth reported about them, in which the Messenger of Allaah describes their attributes and
explains their position. They are given this name because they will be strange during the Last Days, due
to their adherence to the Sunnah and to the Way of the First Muslims, the Salaf As-Saalih. So just as
those who first accepted Islaam at the hands of Muhammad (saws) were considered strangers with their
families and close ones, then indeed, those who adhere to the Sunnah in the last Days, when innovations
and misguidance are rampant and widespread, will also be considered strangers amidst their families and
close ones, not to mention the disbelievers.
The Imaam then goes on to explain these ahaadeeth based on various statements from the Salaf. And he
categorizes this Strangeness into several types – both inner and outer. It must be noted that Ibn Rajab
uses several weak ahaadeeth in this treatise, which have been pointed out. And towards the end of his
treatise, he begins to divert from the topic by going deep into the issue of inner strangeness, sometimes
focusing on aspects that have no basis in Islaam, such as talk about the ‘Aarif, wajd, khulwah, etc. These
were Sufi ideas that were prevalent during his time. In his introduction to his abridgement and checking
of Ibn Rajab’s monumental book “Jaami’-ul-‘Uloom wal-Hikam”, Shaikh Saleem Al-Hilaalee said: “Ibn
Rajab (rahimahullaah) treaded the Manhaj of the Salaf with regard to the issues of Eemaan and
acquiring knowledge. And he supported it and defended it from the false arguments of the opponents.
His books are loaded with that. And he wrote some treatises specifically on this topic such as his book
‘Bayaan Fadlu ‘Ilm-is-Salaf ‘alaal-Khalaf.’ However, there can be found traces of Sufism in his books,
may Allaah protect him from inclining towards it’s dangerous paths, due to what Allaah has given him
from vast knowledge of the Narrations and a clear Salafee Methodology.” [Iqaadh-ul-Himam: pg.

In this treatise, Ibn Rajab deals with the topic of the Strangers, or AlGhurabaa. He begins by listing the many ahaadith reported about them, in which the Messenger of Allah describes their attributes and explains their position. They are given this name because they will be strange during the Last Days, due to their adherence to the Sunnah and to the Way of the First Muslims, the Salaf AsSaalih.