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Fatwa CenterExplanation of the Hadeeth, 'Indeed, the devil has despaired of being worshipped...'
Question
Assalamualaikum sheikh..... I read this hadith could you please clarify it.... Jabir (Radhiyallahu anhu) reported that Allah’s Messenger said, “Indeed, the devil has despaired of being worshiped by those who offer salah, but he retains hope of setting them against each other.” Does this hadeeth means there will be no shirk in this ummah????
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
This Hadeeth was recorded by Imaam Muslim 
. An-Nawawi commented on the Hadeeth as follows, “[The Hadeeth means that] Satan despaired of him ever being worshipped by the people of the peninsula of Arabia, but he is hopeful that he would sow the seeds of dissension, discord and dispute among them, causing wars, conflicts, and so on." [Explanation of Saheeh Muslim]
This does not necessarily imply that no one of the Muslim community will ever fall into the abyss of Shirk. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘You will tread the same path as was trodden by those before you…’ He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, also informed us that the Last Hour will not come until Al-Laat and Al-‘Uzza (two famous idols in the pre-Islamic era) are worshipped. He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, highlighted in many Ahaadeeth that Shirk will be committed by members of this Ummah.
As for the Hadeeth mentioned in your question, Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said, “The fact that the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, informed us that Satan despaired of being worshipped (in the peninsula of Arabia) does not mean that none of the Muslims will ever commit Shirk. This may take place, contrary to what Satan expected. After the Muslim conquests and as Islam grew stronger and many people embraced Islam, Satan despaired that none other than Allaah would be worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula. However, the wisdom of Allaah entailed otherwise. This cannot be left unsaid so that people would not claim that the polytheistic practices carried out in the Arabian Peninsula cannot be labelled as Shirk. It is known that Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Al-Wahhaab renewed the doctrine of Tawheed (Islamic monotheism) in the Arabian Peninsula at a time when there were among its inhabitants those who committed Shirk and those who did not. The Hadeeth highlights Satan’s thoughts at that time (of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam), but it does not indicate that it is not possible that Shirk would be committed in the Arabian Peninsula thereafter. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was reported to have said: ‘You will tread the same path as was trodden by those before you…’” [Muslim] He said it while he was addressing the Companions in the Arabian Peninsula."
Allaah Knows best.
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