Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

ذِكْرُ تَمْثِيلِ الْمُصْطَفَى ﷺ الرَّاكِبَ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ وَالْمُدَاهِنَ فِيهَا مَعَ الْقَائِمِ بِالْحَقِّ بِأَصْحَابِ مَرْكَبٍ، رَكِبُوا لَجَّ الْبَحْرِ

ibnhibban:298Abū Yaʿlá > Abū Khaythamah > Jarīr > Muṭarrif > al-Shaʿbī > al-Nuʿmān b. Bashīr

[Machine] I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying, "The one who flatters is in the limits set by Allah, as well as the one who rides in it and the one who commands and prohibits in it. They are like a group of people who were in a ship in the sea. One of them stood at the back of the ship and moved it away from the side. They were foolish, and when they approached people from another group, they harmed them and said, 'We are closer to the side of the ship and farther from the water. Let us break a hole in the ship and then repair it when we no longer need it.' Then, the one among them who was the wisest said, 'What are you doing?' He replied, 'We are closer to the side of the ship and farther from it, so we will break a hole in the ship and repair it when we no longer need it.' The wise one said, 'Do not do that! If you do, both you and we will be destroyed.'"  

ابن حبّان:٢٩٨أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو يَعْلَى قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَيْثَمَةَ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «الْمُدَاهِنُ فِي حُدُودِ اللَّهِ وَالرَّاكِبُ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ وَالْآمِرُ بِهَا وَالنَّاهِي عَنْهَا كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا فِي سَفِينَةٍ مِنْ سُفُنِ الْبَحْرِ فَأَصَابَ أَحَدُهُمْ مُؤَخَّرَ السَّفِينَةِ وَأَبْعَدَهَا مِنَ الْمِرْفَقِ وَكَانُوا سُفَهَاءَ وَكَانُوا إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَى رِجَالِ الْقَوْمِ آذَوْهُمْ فَقَالُوا نَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ أَهْلِ السَّفِينَةِ مِنَ الْمِرْفَقِ وَأَبْعَدُهُمْ مِنَ الْمَاءِ فَتَعَالَوْا نَخْرِقْ دَفَّ السَّفِينَةِ ثُمَّ نَرُدَّهُ إِذَا اسْتَغْنَيْنَا عَنْهُ فَقَالَ مَنْ نَاوَأَهُ مِنَ السُّفَهَاءِ افْعَلْ فَأَهْوَى إِلَى فَأْسٍ لِيَضْرِبَ بِهَا أَرْضَ السَّفِينَةِ فَأَشْرَفَ عَلَيْهِ رَجُلٌ رُشَيْدٌ فَقَالَ مَا تَصْنَعُ؟ فَقَالَ نَحْنُ أَقْرَبُكُمْ مِنَ الْمِرْفَقِ وَأَبْعَدُكُمْ مِنْهُ أَخْرِقُ دَفَّ السَّفِينَةِ فَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَيْنَا عَنْهُ سَدَدْنَاهُ فَقَالَ لَا تَفْعَلْ فَإِنَّكَ إِنْ فَعَلْتَ تَهْلِكُ وَنَهْلِكُ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Ibn Ḥibbān, Suyūṭī

ذِكْرُ مَا يُسْتَحَبُّ لِلْمَرْءِ اسْتِعْمَالُ الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ، وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ لِعَوَامِّ النَّاسِ دُونَ الْأُمَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ لَا يَأْمَنُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنْهُمْ إِنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ

ibnhibban:301ʿAbdullāh b. Muḥammad al-Azdī > Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr > Muṭarrif > al-Shaʿbī > al-Nuʿmān b. Bashīr

[Machine] I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, "The example of the one who violates the boundaries of Allah and commands to do so, and prohibits from what He has forbidden, is like a group of people who boarded a ship from the sea ships. Some of them were at the back of the ship, and others were at the top of the ship. When they wanted water while they were at the back of the ship, they would pass by those who were closer to the wall of the ship and further from the water. They would poke holes in the ship's wall to get water. Once they no longer needed the water, they would patch up the holes they had created. The foolish among them would say, 'Why wouldn't we simply break the wall of the ship so that we can easily get water and not bother with patching it up?' Then, one of them took an axe and struck the ship's wall. A man among them, named Rushayd, asked, 'What are you doing?' He replied, 'We are closer to the wall and further from the water. We will break the ship's wall, get the water, and when we no longer need it, we will repair it.' The man said, 'Do not do that, for if you do, we will all be destroyed and perish.'"  

ابن حبّان:٣٠١أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْأَزْدِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِّ عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «مَثَلُ الْمُدَاهِنِ فِي حُدُودِ اللَّهِ وَالْآمِرِ بِهَا وَالنَّاهِي عَنْهَا كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا سَفِينَةً مِنْ سُفُنِ الْبَحْرِ فَصَارَ بَعْضُهُمْ فِي مُؤَخَّرِ السَّفِينَةِ وَأَبْعَدِهِمْ مِنَ الْمِرْفَقِ وَبَعْضُهُمْ فِي أَعْلَى السَّفِينَةِ فَكَانُوا إِذَا أَرَادُوا الْمَاءَ وَهُمْ فِي آخِرِ السَّفِينَةِ آذَوْا رِحَالَهُمْ فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ نَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ مِنَ الْمِرْفَقِ وَأَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ نَخْرِقَ دَفَّةَ السَّفِينَةِ وَنَسْتَقِي فَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَيْنَا عَنْهُ سَدَدْنَاهُ فَقَالَ السُّفَهَاءُ مِنْهُمُ افْعَلُوا قَالَ فَأَخَذَ الْفَأْسَ فَضَرَبَ عَرَضَ السَّفِينَةِ فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْهُمْ رُشَيْدٌ مَا تَصْنَعُ؟ قَالَ نَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ مِنَ الْمِرْفَقِ وَأَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ نَكْسِرُ دَفَّ السَّفِينَةِ فَنَسْتَقِي فَإِذَا اسْتَغْنَيْنَا عَنْهُ سَدَدْنَاهُ فَقَالَ لَا تَفْعَلْ فَإِنَّكَ إِذًا تَهْلِكُ وَنَهْلِكُ»  

suyuti:19927a
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السيوطي:١٩٩٢٧a

"مُدْهنٌ فِي حُدَودِ اللهِ، وَالراكِبُ حُدُودَ الله - ﷻ - والأَمرُ بها وَالنَّاهِى عَنْهَا، كَمَثَلِ قَوْمٍ اسْتَهَمُوا عَلَى سَفِينَة مِنْ سُفُن الْبَحْرِ، فَأَصَابَ بَعضُهم مُؤَخَّرَ السَّفِينَةِ وأَبْعدَها مِن الْمِرْفَق، وكَانُوا سُفَهَاءَ، وكَانُوا إِذَا أَتَوْا علَى رحالِ الْقَوْمِ آذَوْهُم، فَقَالُوا: نَحنُ أَقربُ أَهْل السَّفِينَةِ مِن الْمِرْفَق وأَبْعدُهُم مِن الْماءِ، فَبينَنَا وبين الْمِرْفَقِ أَنْ نَخْرِقَ السَّفِينَة ثم نَسُدَّه إِذا اسْتغْنَينَا عنْهُ، فَقَال ضُرباؤُه مِن السُّفَهَاءِ (*) فافْعَلْ، فَأَهْوَى إلى فأس يَضربُ عَرض السَّفِيِنَةِ فَأَشْرف علَيه رجُلٌ ونشَده ما تَصْنَعُ؟ قَال: نَحْنُ أَقْربُكُم منْ الْمِرْفَقِ وأَبْعدُكُم مِنْهُ، أَخْرق دُفَّ هِذه السًّفينَة، فَإِذَا اسْتَقَينَا لسَدَدْنَاهُ، قَال: لَا تَفْعل فَإِنَّك إِذنْ تَهْلَكَ وتُهْلِك".  

[طب] الطبرانى في الكبير عن النعمان بن بشير