Review of the narrations condemning the scholars of the end times

Dar al-Hidaya :The Ahmad al-Basri movement is notorious for its aggressive Criticism against Shia scholars, relying on selective interpretations of hadiths to erode public trust in religious authorities. This paper exposes the deceptive misuse of two primary narrations often cited by Basri’s followers and explains why these narrations do not support their claims.

🧩 Criticism of Scholars

Ahmad al-Basri’s followers seek to sow mistrust in religious authorities by interpreting narrations in a way that casts all scholars in a negative light. Their goal is to detach the public from traditional scholarship and make them dependent on Basri’s self-proclaimed authority.

Once people become suspicious of their scholarly sources, they are vulnerable to accepting any narrative—no matter how unfounded—because they no longer have a standard by which to distinguish truth from falsehood.

However, a closer examination of these narrations reveals the manipulative strategy used by the Basri movement. Let’s analyze the two key narrations they exploit.

📜 First Narration of Criticism of Scholars

📖 Narration from the Prophet (PBUH):

“A time will come upon my people when nothing will remain of the Qur’an except its writing, and nothing will remain of Islam except its name. They will call themselves Muslims while they will be the farthest from it. Their mosques will be flourishing but devoid of guidance. The scholars of that time will be the worst scholars under the sky. From them, the trials will arise and to them, it will return.”
(Al-Kāfī, vol. 8, p. 307)

🔎 First Point: General Audience

The word “ناس” (“people”) in this narration refers to all Muslims, not just Shia. While some narrations use “ناس” in a more specific sense, this one refers broadly to both Sunni and Shia, as both communities will have corrupt scholars in the end times.

It’s intellectually dishonest to limit this narration only to Shia scholars as Ahmad al-Basri’s followers do.

🔎 Second Point: Hyperbolic Language, Not Literal

The Prophet (PBUH) used strong expressions like:

• “Nothing will remain of the Qur’an except its writing…”

• “Their mosques will be flourishing but devoid of guidance…”

These phrases are not absolute but highlight a widespread decline in true religious practice. If taken literally, it would include Basri’s own followers—proving the inconsistency in their interpretation.

The phrase “فقهاء ذلك الزمان” (“the jurists of that time”) is meant to warn against corrupt scholars, not condemn all scholars.

🔎 Third Point: Other Hadiths Praise End-Time Scholars

There are numerous authentic narrations that praise righteous scholars in the end times. One such narration from Imam Ali (AS) says:

“If it were not for the scholars who call people to the truth after the occultation of our Imam, guide them, defend the religion of Allah, and protect the weak from Satan’s traps, no one would remain on the religion. These scholars are the best among the people in the sight of Allah.”

This narration directly refutes the Basri claim that all scholars of the end times are corrupt.

🔎 Fourth Point: “From Them the Trials Will Arise…”

The final part of the narration clarifies that only specific corrupt scholars are intended—those who:

• Issue baseless fatwas

• Alter religious teachings

• Innovate in religion

• Interpret the Qur’an with personal opinions

These are not the scholars who preserve the teachings of Ahl al-Bayt, but those who betray them.

📜 Second Narration of Criticism of Scholars

📖 Narration from Imam al-Baqir (AS):

“…Sixteen thousand people of the Batriyyah will come out of Kufa with weapons. They are Quran reciters, jurists, and worshippers, but they are hypocrites. They say, ‘O son of Fatima, return, we do not need you.’ The Imam will strike them down near Najaf…”
(Al-Kāfī, p. 241)

🔍 First Point of Second Narration: Source Acknowledgement

This hadith is often quoted on Ahmad Basri’s official platforms in Persian with a misleading translation and interpretation.

🔍 Second Point: Mistranslation of “Batriyyah”

The translation offered by Basri’s followers claims the Batriyyah are “those who deny that Imam Mahdi has a son.”

✅ This is factually incorrect.

📌 Historically, the Batriyyah were a sect that combined love of Ahl al-Bayt with loyalty to their enemies, such as some Umayyad and Abbasid figures.

They never represented Shia scholars and were rejected by Imams like al-Baqir (AS) and al-Sadiq (AS).

🔍 Third Point: Target Is a Specific Sect, Not Shia Scholars

The 16,000 mentioned in the hadith:

• Are not Shia scholars

• Are a deviant sect present both during Imam al-Baqir’s time and to be found during Imam Mahdi’s reappearance

• Are described as hypocrites, not scholars defending the truth

This hadith has nothing to do with condemning the legitimate Shia ulama of the end times.

✅ Conclusion: Criticism the Scholars Is a Strategy, Not a Truth

Ahmad al-Basri and his followers employ selective interpretations, false translations, and rhetorical exaggeration to malign Shia scholars. Their goal is to detach the public from authentic religious authorities and substitute them with their self-proclaimed leadership.

🔒 However, the truth remains:

• Not all end-time scholars are corrupt

• The Qa’wāmīn of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) are praised and essential

• The narrations cited by Ahmad al-Basri are misused and mistranslated

The true scholars of the Shia tradition continue to safeguard the religion of the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) and resist such ideological distortions.