Do not be a people without a will of your own.

The Prophet 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." [Tirmithi]

At-Tirmithi reported this Hadeeth in his Sunan, from Huthayfah that the Prophet 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 classified it as Hasan [good], but Al-‘Ajalooni, classified it as Dha’eef [weak] in Kashf Al-Khafaa', and Al-Albaani also classified it as Dha’eef in Dha’eef Al-Jaami’ As-Sagheer.

However, it is confirmed as a statement of Ibn Mas’ood as At-Tabaraani reported it from him in his book entitled Al-Mu’jam.

Allaah Knows best.