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The Hadeeth: Do not be a people without a will of your own….

Question

Salam alaikum, Can you please tell me the status of this hadith? Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "Do not be people without minds of your own, saying that if others treat you well - you will treat them well, and that if they do wrong - you will do wrong. Instead, accustom yourselves to do good if people do good and not to do wrong if they do evil." [Al-Tirmidhi #1325]. Salam alaikum

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 ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

At-Tirmithi  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him reported this Hadeeth in his Sunan, from Huthayfah  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him that the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) said: ''Do not be a people without a will of your own, saying: if the people treat well, we will treat well; and if they do wrong, we will do wrong, but accustom yourselves to do good if people do good, and not to do wrong if they do evil.Al-Tirmithi said about this Hadeeth: it is Hasan Ghareeb (i.e. it is an authentic good Hadeeth that is strange to come from this chain of narration).

Also, Al-Arna’oot  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him classified it as Hasan [good], but Al-‘Ajalooni, classified it as Dha’eef [weak] in Kashf Al-Khafaa', and Al-Albaani  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him also classified it as Dha’eef in Dha’eef Al-Jaami’ As-Sagheer.

However, it is confirmed as a statement of Ibn Mas’ood  may  Allaah  be  pleased  with  him; as At-Tabaraani  may  Allaah  have  mercy  upon  him reported it from him in his book entitled Al-Mu’jam.

Allaah Knows best.

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