Allah the Exalted said:
رياض الصالحينAbū Zakariyyā Muḥyī al-Dīn Yaḥyā ibn Sharaf al-Nawawī٥٥ - باب فضل الزهد في الدنيا والحث على التقلل منها وفضل الفقر
٥٥ - باب فضل الزهد في الدنيا والحث على التقلل منها وفضل الفقر
The example of [this] worldly life is but like rain which We have sent down from the sky that the plants of the earth absorb - [those] from which men and livestock eat - until, when the earth has taken on its adornment and is beautified and its people suppose that they have capability over it, there comes to it Our command by night or by day, and We make it as a harvest,1 as if it had not flourished yesterday. Thus do We explain in detail the signs for a people who give thought.
And He the Exalted said:
وَٱضْرِبْ لَهُم مَّثَلَ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا كَمَآءٍ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ فَٱخْتَلَطَ بِهِۦ نَبَاتُ ٱلْأَرْضِ فَأَصْبَحَ هَشِيمًا تَذْرُوهُ ٱلرِّيَـٰحُ ۗ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مُّقْتَدِرًا
And present to them the example of the life of this world, [its being] like rain which We send down from the sky, and the vegetation of the earth mingles with it1 and [then] it becomes dry remnants, scattered by the winds. And Allāh is ever, over all things, Perfect in Ability.
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He the Exalted said:
ٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَلَهْوٌ وَزِينَةٌ وَتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِى ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَوْلَـٰدِ ۖ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ أَعْجَبَ ٱلْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهُۥ ثُمَّ يَهِيجُ فَتَرَىٰهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُونُ حُطَـٰمًا ۖ وَفِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرِضْوَٰنٌ ۚ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children - like the example of a rain whose [resulting] plant growth pleases the tillers; then it dries and you see it turned yellow; then it becomes [scattered] debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allāh and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He the Exalted said:
زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ ٱلشَّهَوَٰتِ مِنَ ٱلنِّسَآءِ وَٱلْبَنِينَ وَٱلْقَنَـٰطِيرِ ٱلْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ ٱلذَّهَبِ وَٱلْفِضَّةِ وَٱلْخَيْلِ ٱلْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَٱلْأَنْعَـٰمِ وَٱلْحَرْثِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ مَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَٱللَّهُ عِندَهُۥ حُسْنُ ٱلْمَـَٔابِ
Beautified for people is the love of that which they desire - of women and sons, heaped-up sums of gold and silver, fine branded horses, and cattle and tilled land. That is the enjoyment of worldly life, but Allāh has with Him the best return [i.e., Paradise].
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He the Exalted said:
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ ۖ فَلَا تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَا ۖ وَلَا يَغُرَّنَّكُم بِٱللَّهِ ٱلْغَرُورُ
O mankind, indeed the promise of Allāh is truth, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allāh by the Deceiver [i.e., Satan].
وقال تَعَالَى:
And He the Exalted said:
أَلْهَىٰكُمُ ٱلتَّكَاثُرُ
Competition in [worldly] increase diverts you
وقال تَعَالَى: ﴿وَمَا هذِهِ الحَياةُ الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ لَهْوٌ وَلَعِبٌ وَإِنَّ الدَّارَ الآخِرَةَ لَهِيَ الْحَيَوَانُ لَوْ كَانُوا
And He the Exalted said: “This worldly life is nothing but diversion and play, and indeed the abode of the Hereafter—that is the [true] life, if only they were
يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ [العنكبوت: ٦٤] والآيات في الباب كثيرة مشهورة.
to know.” [Al-ʿAnkabūt: 64] The verses on this subject are many and well-known.
وأما الأحاديث فأكثر مِنْ أن تحصر فننبِّهُ بطرف منها عَلَى مَا سواه.
As for the hadiths, they are too numerous to be enumerated, so we shall point to a portion of them as an indication of the rest.
عن عمرو بن عوف الأنصاري - ﵁: أنَّ رسولَ الله - ﷺ - بَعَثَ أَبَا عبيدة بنَ الجَرَّاح - ﵁ - إِلَى الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَأتِي بِجِزْيَتِهَا، فَقَدِمَ بمَالٍ مِنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ، فَسَمِعَتِ الأَنْصَارُ بقُدُومِ أَبي عُبيْدَةَ، فَوَافَوْا صَلاَةَ الفَجْرِ مَعَ رسولِ الله - ﷺ - فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رسولُ الله - ﷺ - انْصَرفَ، فَتَعَرَّضُوا لَهُ، فَتَبَسَّمَ رسولُ الله - ﷺ - حِيْنَ رَآهُمْ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «أَظُنُّكُمْ سَمِعْتُمْ أنَّ أَبَا عُبَيْدَةَ قَدِمَ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ؟» فقالوا: أجل، يَا رسول الله، فقال: «أبْشِرُوا وَأَمِّلْوا مَا يَسُرُّكُمْ، فَوالله مَا الفَقْرَ أَخْشَى عَلَيْكُمْ، وَلكِنِّي أخْشَى أَنْ تُبْسَط الدُّنْيَا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا بُسِطَتْ عَلَى مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ، فَتَنَافَسُوهَا كَمَا تَنَافَسُوهَا، فَتُهْلِكَكُمْ كَمَا أهْلَكَتْهُمْ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
On the authority of ʿAmr ibn ʿAwf al-Anṣārī (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah ｢ˢ sent Abū ʿUbaydah ibn al-Jarrāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him) to Bahrain to bring its jizyah. He returned with wealth from Bahrain, and the Anṣār heard of Abū ʿUbaydah's arrival, so they attended the Fajr prayer with the Messenger of Allah ｢ˢ. When the Messenger of Allah ｢ˢ had prayed, he turned away, and they presented themselves to him. The Messenger of Allah ｢ˢ smiled when he saw them, then said: “I suppose you have heard that Abū ʿUbaydah has come with something from Bahrain?” They said: “Yes indeed, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “Then rejoice and hope for what will please you. By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but rather I fear that the world will be spread out for you as it was spread out for those before you, so you will compete for it as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them.” Agreed upon.
وعن أَبي سعيد الخدري - ﵁ - قَالَ: جلس رسولُ الله - ﷺ - عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، وَجَلَسْنَا حَوْلَهُ، فقال: «إنَّ ممَّا أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِي مَا يُفْتَحُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِنْ زَهْرَةِ الدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتِهَا». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
And on the authority of Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ｢ˢ sat upon the pulpit, and we sat around him, and he said: “Indeed, among the things I fear for you after me is the worldly splendour that will be opened up to you from the blossom of the world and its adornment.” Agreed upon.
وعنه: أن رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «إنَّ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ وَإنَّ الله تَعَالَى مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا، فَيَنْظُرُ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ، فَاتَّقُوا الدُّنْيَا وَاتَّقُوا النِّسَاءَ». رواه مسلم.
And on his authority: that the Messenger of Allah ｢ˢ said: “Indeed, the world is sweet and green, and Allah the Exalted has appointed you as successors in it, so He will see how you act. So beware of the world and beware of women.” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن أنس - ﵁: أن النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «اللَّهُمَّ لاَ عَيْشَ إِلاَّ عَيْشَ الآخِرَةِ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “O Allah, there is no life except the life of the Hereafter.” Agreed upon.
وعنه، عن رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «يَتْبَعُ الْمَيِّتَ ثَلاَثَةٌ: أهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَعَمَلُهُ: فَيَرْجِعُ اثْنَانِ، وَيَبْقَى وَاحِدٌ: يَرْجِعُ أهْلُهُ وَمَالُهُ وَيبْقَى عَمَلُهُ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
On his authority, from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: “Three things follow the deceased: his family, his wealth, and his deeds. Two return and one remains: his family and his wealth return, and his deeds remain.” Agreed upon.
وعنه، قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «يُؤْتَى بِأَنْعَمِ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أَهْلِ النَّارِ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ، فَيُصْبَغُ في النَّارِ صَبْغَةً ، ثُمَّ يُقَالُ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، هَلْ رَأيْتَ خَيْرًا قَطُّ؟ هَلْ مَرَّ بِكَ نَعِيمٌ قَطُّ؟ فَيَقُولُ: لاَ وَاللهِ يَا رَبِّ، وَيُؤْتَى بِأشَدِّ النَّاسِ بُؤسًا في الدُّنْيَا مِنْ أهْلِ الجَنَّةِ، فَيُصْبَغُ صَبْغَةً في الجَنَّةِ، فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ، هَلْ رَأيْتَ بُؤسًا قَطُّ؟ هَلْ مَرَّ بِكَ شِدَّةٌ قَطُّ؟ فيَقُولُ: لاَ وَاللهِ، مَا مَرَّ بِي بُؤْسٌ قَطُّ، وَلاَ رَأيْتُ شِدَّةً قَطُّ». رواه مسلم.
On his authority, he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “The most luxuriously-living person of this world, from the people of the Fire, will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and dipped once in the Fire. Then it will be said: O son of Adam, did you ever see any good? Did any comfort ever pass you by? He will say: No, by Allah, O my Lord. And the most severely afflicted person of this world, from the people of Paradise, will be brought and dipped once in Paradise. Then it will be said to him: O son of Adam, did you ever see any hardship? Did any distress ever pass you by? He will say: No, by Allah, no hardship ever passed me by, nor did I ever see any distress.” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن المُسْتَوْرِد بن شَدَّاد - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «مَا الدُّنْيَا فِي الآخِرَةِ إِلاَّ مِثْلُ مَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ أُصْبُعَهُ في اليَمِّ ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ!». رواه مسلم.
On the authority of al-Mustawrid ibn Shaddād (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “This world, in comparison with the Hereafter, is only like one of you putting his finger into the sea: let him see with what it comes back!” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن جابر - ﵁: أنَّ رسول الله - ﷺ - مَرَّ بالسُّوقِ وَالنَّاسُ كَنَفَتَيْهِ، فَمَرَّ بِجَدْيٍ أَسَكَّ مَيِّتٍ، فَتَنَاوَلَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِهِ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: «أَيُّكُم يُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا لَهُ بِدرْهَم؟» فقالوا: مَا نُحِبُّ أنَّهُ لَنَا بِشَيْءٍ وَمَا نَصْنَعُ بِهِ؟ ثُمَّ قَالَ: «أَتُحِبُّونَ أَنَّهُ لَكُمْ؟» قَالُوا: وَاللهِ لَوْ كَانَ حَيًّا كَانَ عَيْبًا، إنَّهُ أسَكُّ فَكَيْفَ وَهُوَ ميِّتٌ! فقال: «فوَاللهِ للدُّنْيَا أهْوَنُ عَلَى اللهِ مِنْ هَذَا عَلَيْكُمْ». رواه مسلم. قوله: «كَنَفَتَيْهِ» أيْ: عن جانبيه. وَ«الأَسَكُّ»: الصغير الأذُن.
On the authority of Jābir (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed through the market with people on either side of him, and he passed by a dead kid-goat with small ears. He picked it up and took hold of its ear, then said: “Which of you would like to have this for a dirham?” They said: We would not like to have it for anything; what would we do with it? Then he said: “Would you like it to be yours [for nothing]?” They said: By Allah, even if it were alive it would be a defect, for it is small-eared—so how about now that it is dead! He said: “By Allah, this world is more contemptible to Allah than this is to you.” Narrated by Muslim. His statement “kanafatayhi” means: on his two sides. And “al-asakk” means: the one with small ears.
وعن أَبي ذر - ﵁ - قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَمْشِي مَعَ النَّبي - ﷺ - في حَرَّةٍ بِالمَدِينَةِ، فَاسْتَقْبَلَنَا أُحُدٌ، فقال: «يَا أَبَا ذَرٍّ» قلت: لَبَّيْكَ يَا رسولَ الله. فقال: «مَا يَسُرُّنِي أنَّ عِنْدِي مِثْلَ أُحُدٍ هَذَا ذَهَبًا تَمْضي عَلَيَّ ثَلاَثَةُ أيّامٍ وَعِنْدِي مِنْهُ دِينَارٌ، إِلاَّ شَيْءٌ أرْصُدُهُ لِدَيْنٍ، إِلاَّ أَنْ أقُولَ بِهِ في عِبَادِ الله هكذا وَهَكَذَا وَهكَذَا» عن يَمِينِهِ وعن شِمَالِهِ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ، ثُمَّ سَارَ، فقال: «إنَّ الأَكْثَرينَ هُمُ الأَقَلُّونَ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ إِلاَّ مَنْ قَالَ بالمَالِ هكَذَا وَهكَذَا وَهكَذَا» عن يمينِهِ وعن شِمَالِهِ وِمنْ خَلْفِهِ «وَقَلِيلٌ مَاهُمُ». ثُمَّ قَالَ لي: «مَكَانَكَ لاَ تَبْرَحْ حَتَّى آتِيكَ» ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ في سَوادِ اللَّيْلِ حَتَّى تَوَارَى، فَسَمِعْتُ صَوتًا، قَدِ ارْتَفَع، فَتَخَوَّفْتُ أَنْ يَكُونَ أحَدٌ عَرَضَ للنَّبيِّ - ﷺ - فَأرَدْتُ أَنْ آتِيهِ فَذَكَرتُ قَوْله: «لا تَبْرَحْ حَتَّى آتِيَكَ» فلم أبْرَحْ حَتَّى أتَاني، فَقُلْتُ: لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ صَوتًا تَخَوَّفْتُ مِنْهُ، فَذَكَرْتُ لَهُ، فقال: «وَهَلْ سَمِعْتَهُ؟» قلت: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: «ذَاكَ جِبريلُ أتَانِي. فقال: مَنْ مَاتَ مِنْ أُمَّتِكَ لاَ يُشْرِكُ بِاللهِ شَيْئًا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ»، قلت: وَإنْ زَنَى وَإنْ سَرَقَ؟ قَالَ: «وَإنْ زَنَى وَإنْ سَرَقَ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ ، وهذا لفظ البخاري.
On the authority of Abū Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: I was walking with the Prophet (ﷺ) in a lava-field of Medina when Uḥud came into view before us. He said: “O Abū Dharr.” I said: At your service, O Messenger of Allah. He said: “It would not please me to have the like of this Uḥud in gold, with three days passing over me while I still had a single dīnār of it left, except something I set aside for a debt—unless I were to dispense it among the servants of Allah like this, and like this, and like this”—to his right, to his left, and behind him. Then he walked on and said: “Indeed, those who have the most [wealth] are the ones who will have the least on the Day of Resurrection, except for one who spends his wealth like this, and like this, and like this”—to his right, to his left, and behind him—“but they are few.” Then he said to me: “Stay in your place; do not leave until I come to you.” Then he set off into the blackness of the night until he disappeared. I heard a sound that had risen, and I feared that someone had confronted the Prophet (ﷺ). I wanted to go to him, but I remembered his words: “Do not leave until I come to you,” so I did not leave until he came to me. I said: I heard a sound that alarmed me—and I mentioned it to him. He said: “And did you hear it?” I said: Yes. He said: “That was Jibrīl; he came to me and said: Whoever of your nation dies not associating anything with Allah will enter Paradise.” I said: Even if he has committed fornication and even if he has stolen? He said: “Even if he has committed fornication and even if he has stolen.” Agreed upon, and this is the wording of al-Bukhārī.
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - عن رسول الله - ﷺ - قَالَ: «لَوْ كَانَ لِي مِثْلُ أُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا، لَسَرَّنِي أَنْ لاَ تَمُرَّ عَلَيَّ ثَلاَثُ لَيالٍ وَعِنْدِي مِنْهُ شَيْءٌ إِلاَّ شَيْءٌ أرْصُدُهُ لِدَيْنٍ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
On the authority of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), who said: “If I had the like of Uhud in gold, it would please me that not three nights pass over me while I still had any of it left, except something I set aside for a debt.” Agreed upon.
وعنه، قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «انْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ وَلاَ تَنْظُرُوا إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ فَوْقَكُمْ؛ فَهُوَ أجْدَرُ أَنْ لاَ تَزْدَرُوا نِعْمَةَ الله عَلَيْكُمْ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ، وهذا لفظ مسلم. وفي رواية البخاري: «إِذَا نَظَرَ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَى مَنْ فُضِّلَ عَلَيْهِ في المَالِ وَالخَلْقِ، فَلْيَنْظُرْ إِلَى مَنْ هُوَ أسْفَل مِنْهُ».
On his authority, he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Look at those who are below you and do not look at those who are above you, for that is more fitting that you not belittle the favour of Allah upon you.” Agreed upon, and this is the wording of Muslim. And in al-Bukhārī’s narration: “When one of you looks at someone favoured above him in wealth and physical form, let him look at one who is below him.”
وعنه، عن النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «تَعِسَ عَبْدُ الدِّينَارِ، وَالدِّرْهَمِ، وَالقَطِيفَةِ ، وَالخَمِيصَةِ، إنْ أُعْطِيَ رَضِيَ، وَإنْ لَمْ يُعْطَ لَمْ يَرْضَ». رواه البخاري.
On his authority, from the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: “Wretched is the slave of the dīnār, the dirham, the velvet cloak, and the embroidered garment: if he is given, he is pleased, and if he is not given, he is displeased.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعنه - ﵁ - قَالَ: لَقَدْ رَأيْتُ سَبعِينَ مِنْ أهْلِ الصُّفَّةِ، مَا منهُمْ رَجُلٌ عَلَيْهِ رِدَاءٌ: إمَّا إزارٌ، وَإمَّا كِسَاءٌ، قَدْ رَبَطُوا في أعنَاقِهِمْ، فَمِنْهَا مَا يَبْلُغُ نِصْفَ السَّاقَيْن، وَمِنْهَا مَا يَبْلُغُ الكَعْبَيْنِ، فَيَجْمَعُهُ بِيَدِهِ كَراهِيَةَ أَنْ تُرَى عَوْرَتُهُ. رواه البخاري.
On his authority (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: I have certainly seen seventy of the People of the Bench (Ahl al-Ṣuffa), not one of them having an upper garment—either a waist-wrapper or a cloak—which they had tied around their necks. Some of them [the garments] reached halfway down the shins, and some reached the ankles, so each would gather it with his hand out of dislike that his nakedness be seen. Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعنه، قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ، وَجَنَّةُ الكَافِرِ». رواه مسلم.
On his authority, he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “This world is the prison of the believer and the paradise of the disbeliever.” Narrated by Muslim.
وعن ابن عمر ﵄، قَالَ: أخذ رسول الله - ﷺ - بِمَنْكِبَيَّ، فقال: «كُنْ في الدُّنْيَا كَأنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ، أَو عَابِرُ سَبيلٍ». وَكَانَ ابن عُمَرَ ﵄، يقول: إِذَا أمْسَيتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ الصَّبَاحَ، وَإِذَا أَصْبَحْتَ فَلاَ تَنْتَظِرِ المَسَاءَ، وَخُذْ مِنْ صِحَّتِكَ لِمَرَضِكَ، وَمِنْ حَيَاتِكَ لِمَوْتِكَ. رواه البخاري. قالوا في شَرْحِ هَذَا الحديث معناه: لاَ تَرْكَنْ إِلَى الدُّنْيَا وَلاَ تَتَّخِذْهَا وَطَنًا، وَلاَ تُحَدِّثْ نَفْسَكَ بِطُولِ البَقَاءِ فِيهَا، وَلاَ بِالاعْتِنَاءِ بِهَا، وَلاَ تَتَعَلَّقْ مِنْهَا إِلاَّ بِمَا يَتَعَلَّقُ بِهِ الْغَريبُ في غَيْرِ وَطَنِهِ، وَلاَ تَشْتَغِلْ فِيهَا بِمَا لاَ يَشْتَغِلُ بِهِ الغَرِيبُ الَّذِي يُريدُ الذَّهَابَ إِلَى أهْلِهِ، وَبِاللهِ التَّوْفِيقُ.
On the authority of Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulders and said: “Be in this world as though you were a stranger or a wayfarer.” And Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say: When you reach the evening, do not await the morning; and when you reach the morning, do not await the evening. Take from your health for your illness, and from your life for your death. Narrated by al-Bukhārī. They said, in explaining this hadith, that its meaning is: Do not incline towards this world, nor take it as a homeland; do not tell yourself of a long stay in it, nor of being preoccupied with it; do not attach yourself to it except as a stranger attaches himself in a land other than his own; and do not occupy yourself in it with what a stranger who wishes to depart to his family would not occupy himself with—and with Allah is success.
وعن أَبي العباس سهل بن سعد الساعدي - ﵁ - قَالَ: جَاءَ رَجُلٌ إِلَى النبي - ﷺ - فقال: يَا رسولَ الله، دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ إِذَا عَمِلْتُهُ أحَبَّنِي اللهُ وَأحَبَّنِي النَّاسُ، فقال: «ازْهَدْ في الدُّنْيَا يُحِبّك اللهُ، وَازْهَدْ فِيمَا عِنْدَ النَّاسِ يُحِبّك النَّاسُ». حديث حسن رواه ابن ماجه وغيره بأسانيد حسنة.
On the authority of Abū al-ʿAbbās Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: "O Messenger of Allah, direct me to a deed which, if I do it, Allah will love me and people will love me." He said: "Renounce the world and Allah will love you; and renounce what is in people's hands and people will love you." A good (ḥasan) hadith, narrated by Ibn Mājah and others with good chains of narration.
وعن النعمان بن بشير ﵄، قَالَ: ذَكَرَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الخَطَّابِ - ﵁ - مَا أَصَابَ النَّاسُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا، فَقَالَ: لَقَدْ رَأيْتُ رسول الله - ﷺ - يَظَلُّ الْيَوْمَ يَلْتَوِي مَا يَجِدُ مِنَ الدَّقَلِ مَا يَمْلأ بِهِ بَطْنَهُ. رواه مسلم. «الدَّقَلُ» بفتح الدَّال المهملة والقاف: رديءُ التمرِ.
On the authority of al-Nuʿmān ibn Bashīr (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) mentioned what people had attained of the world, and said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ spending the day writhing (from hunger), unable to find even poor-quality dates to fill his belly. Narrated by Muslim. "Al-daqal" — with a fatḥah on the undotted dāl and on the qāf — means poor-quality dates.
وعن عائشة ﵂، قالت: تُوفي رسول الله - ﷺ - وَمَا في بَيْتِي مِنْ شَيْءٍ يَأكُلُهُ ذُو كَبِدٍ إِلاَّ شَطْرُ شَعِيرٍ في رَفٍّ لِي، فَأكَلْتُ مِنْهُ حَتَّى طَالَ عَلَيَّ، فَكِلْتُهُ فَفَنِيَ. متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ. قولها: «شَطْرُ شَعير» أيْ: شَيْءٌ مِنْ شَعير،، كَذَا فَسَّرَهُ التُرْمذيُّ.
On the authority of ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away while there was nothing in my house that any living creature could eat except a small quantity of barley on a shelf of mine. I ate from it for a long time; then I measured it, and it ran out. Agreed upon. Her words "shaṭr shaʿīr" (a portion of barley) mean: a small quantity of barley; thus did al-Tirmidhī explain it.
وعن عمرو بن الحارث أخي جُوَيْرِيّة بنتِ الحارِث أُمِّ المُؤْمِنِينَ، ﵄، قَالَ: مَا تَرَكَ رسولُ الله - ﷺ - عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ دِينارًا، وَلاَ دِرْهَمًا، وَلاَ عَبْدًا، وَلاَ أَمَةً، وَلاَ شَيْئًا إِلاَّ بَغْلَتَهُ الْبَيضَاءَ الَّتي كَانَ يَرْكَبُهَا، وَسِلاَحَهُ، وَأرْضًا جَعَلَهَا لاِبْنِ السَّبِيلِ صَدَقَةً. رواه البخاري.
On the authority of ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith—the brother of Juwayriyah bint al-Ḥārith, Mother of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them both)—who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ did not leave at his death a dinar, nor a dirham, nor a male slave, nor a female slave, nor anything—except his white mule which he used to ride, his weapon, and a piece of land which he had made a charity for the wayfarer. Narrated by al-Bukhārī.
وعن خَبابِ بن الأَرَتِّ - ﵁ - قَالَ: هَاجَرْنَا مَعَ رسول الله - ﷺ - نَلْتَمِسُ وَجْهَ اللهِ تَعَالَى، فَوَقَعَ أجْرُنَا عَلَى اللهِ، فَمِنَّا مَنْ مَاتَ وَلَمْ يَأكُل منْ أَجْرِهِ شَيْئًا، مِنْهُمْ: مُصْعَبُ بن عُمَيْرٍ - ﵁ - قُتِلَ يَوْمَ أُحُد، وَتَرَكَ نَمِرَةً، فَكُنَّا إِذَا غَطَّيْنَا بِهَا رَأْسَهُ، بَدَتْ رِجْلاَهُ، وَإِذَا غَطَّيْنَا بِهَا رِجْلَيْهِ، بَدَا رَأسُهُ، فَأمَرَنَا رسول الله - ﷺ - أَنْ نُغَطِّي رَأسَهُ، وَنَجْعَل عَلَى رِجْلَيْهِ شَيْئًا مِنَ الإذْخِرِ ، وَمِنَّا مَنْ أيْنَعَتْ لَهُ ثَمَرَتُهُ، فَهُوَ يَهْدِبُهَا. متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ. «النَّمِرَةُ»: كِساءٌ مُلَوَّنٌ مِنْ صوف. وَقَوْلُه: «أيْنَعَتْ» أيْ: نَضِجَتْ وَأَدْرَكَتْ. وَقَوْلُه: «يَهْدِبها» هُوَ بفتح الياءِ وضم الدال وكسرها لغتان: أيْ: يَقْطُفهَا وَيَجْتَنِيهَا، وهذه استعارة لما فتح الله تَعَالَى عليهم من الدنيا وتمكنوا فِيهَا.
On the authority of Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: We emigrated with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, seeking the Face of Allah the Exalted, so our reward fell due upon Allah. Among us were those who died without having consumed any of their reward, among them Muṣʿab ibn ʿUmayr (may Allah be pleased with him), who was killed on the Day of Uḥud and left behind a striped woollen cloak (namirah). When we covered his head with it, his feet were exposed, and when we covered his feet with it, his head was exposed. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded us to cover his head and to place over his feet something of idhkhir (sweet rush). And among us is he whose fruit has ripened for him, so he gathers it. Agreed upon. "Al-namirah": a coloured cloak of wool. His words "aynaʿat" mean: it ripened and became mature. His words "yahdibuhā"—with a fatḥah on the yāʾ and a ḍammah or a kasrah on the dāl, which are two variant forms—mean: he plucks it and gathers it; and this is a metaphor for the worldly things that Allah the Exalted opened up to them and in which they became established.
وعن سهلِ بن سعد الساعدي - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «لَوْ كَانَت الدُّنْيَا تَعْدِلُ عِنْدَ الله جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَةٍ، مَا سَقَى كَافِرًا مِنْهَا شَرْبَةَ مَاءٍ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن صحيح».
On the authority of Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "If the world were worth so much as a gnat's wing in the sight of Allah, He would not have given a disbeliever so much as a drink of water from it." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good, sound hadith (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ)."
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رسول الله - ﷺ - يقول: «أَلاَ إنَّ الدُّنْيَا مَلْعُونَةٌ، مَلْعُونٌ مَا فِيهَا، إِلاَّ ذِكْرَ اللهِ تَعَالَى، وَمَا وَالاهُ، وَعالِمًا وَمُتَعَلِّمًا». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسنٌ».
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: "Beware, the world is accursed, and accursed is all that is in it, except the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and what is conducive to it, and a scholar and a learner." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good hadith (ḥasan)."
وعن عبد الله بن مسعود - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «لاَ تَتَّخِذُوا الضَّيْعَةَ فَتَرْغَبُوا في الدُّنْيَا». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديثٌ حسنٌ».
On the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Do not take up landed estates, lest you become desirous of the world." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good hadith (ḥasan)."
وعن عبدِ الله بن عمرو بن العاص ﵄، قَالَ: مَرَّ عَلَيْنَا رسولُ الله - ﷺ - وَنَحْنُ نعالِجُ خُصًّا لَنَا، فَقَالَ: «مَا هَذَا؟» فَقُلْنَا: قَدْ وَهَى، فَنَحَنُ نُصْلِحُهُ، فَقَالَ: «مَا أرَى الأَمْرَ إِلاَّ أعْجَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ». رواه أَبو داود والترمذي بإسناد البخاري ومسلم، وقال الترمذي: «حديثٌ حسنٌ صحيحٌ».
On the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by us while we were mending a reed hut of ours, and said: "What is this?" We said: It has become dilapidated, so we are repairing it. He said: "I do not see the matter (i.e. death) as anything but swifter than that." Narrated by Abū Dāwūd and al-Tirmidhī with the chain of al-Bukhārī and Muslim, and al-Tirmidhī said: "A good, sound hadith (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ)."
وعن كعب بن عياض - ﵁ - قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رسول الله - ﷺ - يقول: «إنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فِتْنَةً، وفِتْنَةُ أُمَّتِي: المَالُ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديثٌ حسنٌ صحيحٌ».
On the authority of Kaʿb ibn ʿIyāḍ (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: "Every nation has a trial (fitnah), and the trial of my nation is wealth." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good, sound hadith (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ)."
وعن أَبي عمرو، ويقالُ: أَبو عبدِ الله، ويقالُ: أَبو ليلى عثمان بن عفان - ﵁: أنَّ النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «لَيْسَ لاِبْنِ آدَمَ حَقٌّ في سِوَى هذِهِ الخِصَالِ: بَيْتٌ يَسْكُنُهُ، وَثَوْبٌ يُوارِي عَوْرَتَهُ، وَجِلْفُ الخُبز وَالماء». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث صحيح». قَالَ الترمذي: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا دَاوُد سُلَيْمَانَ بنَ سَالمٍ البَلْخيَّ، يقولُ: سَمِعْتُ النَّضْرَ بْن شُمَيْل، يقولُ: الجِلْفُ: الخُبْز لَيْسَ مَعَهُ إدَامٌ، وقال غَيْرُهُ: هُوَ غَليظُ الخُبُزِ. وقَالَ الهَرَوِيُّ: المُرادُ بِهِ هنَا وِعَاءُ الخُبزِ، كَالجَوَالِقِ وَالخُرْجِ، والله أعلم.
On the authority of Abū ʿAmr—and he is also called Abū ʿAbd Allāh, and also called Abū Laylā—ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān (may Allah be pleased with him): that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The son of Adam has no right to anything beyond these things: a house in which he dwells, a garment that conceals his nakedness, and a piece of dry bread and water." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A sound hadith (ṣaḥīḥ)." Al-Tirmidhī said: I heard Abū Dāwūd Sulaymān ibn Sālim al-Balkhī say: I heard al-Naḍr ibn Shumayl say: al-jilf is bread that has no condiment with it; and someone else said: it is coarse bread. Al-Harawī said: what is intended by it here is the container of the bread, like the large sack and the saddlebag. And Allah knows best.
وعن عبدِ الله بن الشِّخِّيرِ - بكسر الشينِ والخاء المعجمتين - ﵁ - أنه قَالَ: أتَيْتُ النَّبيَّ - ﷺ - وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ: ﴿أَلْهَاكُمُ التَّكَاثُرُ﴾ قَالَ: «يَقُولُ ابْنُ آدَمَ: مَالِي، مالي، وَهَلْ لَكَ يَا ابْنَ آدَمَ مِنْ مَالِكَ إِلاَّ مَا أكَلْتَ فَأفْنَيْتَ، أَو لَبِسْتَ فَأَبْلَيْتَ، أَوْ تَصَدَّقْتَ فَأَمْضَيْتَ؟!». رواه مسلم.
On the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Shikhkhīr—with a kasrah on the shīn and the khāʾ, both dotted—(may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was reciting: {The mutual rivalry for piling up [worldly things] diverts you}, and he said: "The son of Adam says: My wealth, my wealth! But do you have, O son of Adam, of your wealth anything except what you have eaten and so consumed, or what you have worn and so worn out, or what you have given in charity and so sent forth?" Narrated by Muslim.
وعن عبدِ الله بن مُغَفَّل - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رجل للنبي - ﷺ: يَا رسولَ الله، وَاللهِ إنِّي لأُحِبُّكَ، فَقَالَ: «انْظُرْ مَاذَا تَقُولُ؟» قَالَ: وَاللهِ إنِّي لأُحِبُّكَ، ثَلاَثَ مَرَّات، فَقَالَ: «إنْ كُنْتَ تُحِبُّنِي فَأَعِدَّ لِلْفَقْرِ تِجْفَافًا، فإنَّ الفَقْرَ أسْرَعُ إِلَى مَنْ يُحِبُّني مِنَ السَّيْلِ إِلَى مُنْتَهَاهُ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن». «التجفافُ» بكسرِ التاءِ المثناةِ فوقُ وَإسكانِ الجيمِ وبالفاءِ المكررة: وَهُوَ شَيْءٌ يُلْبَسُهُ الفَرَسُ، لِيُتَّقَى بِهِ الأَذَى، وَقَدْ يَلْبَسُهُ الإنْسَانُ.
On the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Mughaffal (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: A man said to the Prophet ﷺ: "O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I truly love you." He said: "Consider what you are saying." The man said: "By Allah, I truly love you," three times. He said: "If you love me, then prepare a coat of armour for poverty, for poverty comes more swiftly to the one who loves me than a torrent to its final destination." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good (ḥasan) hadith." [Al-Nawawī notes:] "Al-tijfāf," with a kasrah on the two-dotted tāʾ, a sukūn on the jīm, and a repeated fāʾ: it is something the horse is clad in to ward off harm, and a person may also wear it.
وعن كعب بن مالك - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «مَا ذِئْبَانِ جَائِعَانِ أُرْسِلا في غَنَمٍ بِأفْسَدَ لَهَا مِنْ حِرْصِ المَرْءِ عَلَى المَالِ وَالشَّرَفِ لِدِينهِ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن صحيح».
On the authority of Kaʿb ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Two hungry wolves set loose among a flock of sheep are not more destructive to it than a person's greed for wealth and status is to his religion." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good and sound (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ) hadith."
وعن عبد الله بن مسعود - ﵁ - قَالَ: نَامَ رسول الله - ﷺ - عَلَى حَصيرٍ، فَقَامَ وَقَدْ أثَّرَ في جَنْبِهِ، قُلْنَا: يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ، لَوْ اتَّخَذْنَا لَكَ وِطَاءً. فَقَالَ: «مَا لِي وَلِلدُّنْيَا؟ مَا أَنَا في الدُّنْيَا إِلاَّ كَرَاكِبٍ اسْتَظَلَّ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ ثُمَّ رَاحَ وَتَرَكَهَا». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث حسن صحيح».
On the authority of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ slept on a reed mat, and rose with its marks imprinted on his side. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, if only we were to provide you with a soft bedding." He said: "What have I to do with the world? I am, in this world, but like a rider who took shade beneath a tree, then departed and left it." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A good and sound (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ) hadith."
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - قَالَ: قَالَ رسول الله - ﷺ: «يدْخُلُ الفُقَرَاءُ الْجَنَّةَ قَبْلَ الأَغْنِيَاءِ بِخَمْسِمائَةِ عَامٍ». رواه الترمذي، وقال: «حديث صحيح».
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "The poor shall enter Paradise five hundred years before the rich." Narrated by al-Tirmidhī, who said: "A sound (ṣaḥīḥ) hadith."
وعن ابن عباس وعِمْرَانَ بن الحُصَيْنِ - ﵃ - عن النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «اطَّلَعْتُ في الجَنَّةِ فَرَأيْتُ أكْثَرَ أهْلِهَا الفُقَرَاءَ، وَاطَّلَعْتُ في النَّارِ فَرَأيْتُ أكْثَرَ أهْلِهَا النِّسَاءَ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ من رواية ابن عباس، ورواه البخاري أيضًا من رواية عِمْرَان بن الحُصَيْن.
On the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās and ʿImrān ibn al-Ḥuṣayn (may Allah be pleased with them), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "I looked into Paradise and saw that most of its people were the poor, and I looked into the Fire and saw that most of its people were women." Agreed upon, from the narration of Ibn ʿAbbās; and al-Bukhārī also narrated it from the narration of ʿImrān ibn al-Ḥuṣayn.
وعن أسامة بن زيد ﵄، عن النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «قُمْتُ عَلَى بَابِ الجَنَّةِ، فَكَانَ عَامَّةُ مَنْ دَخَلَهَا المَسَاكِينُ، وَأصْحَابُ الجَدِّ مَحبُوسُونَ، غَيْرَ أنَّ أصْحَابِ النَّارِ قَدْ أُمِرَ بِهِم إِلَى النَّارِ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ. وَ«الجَدُّ»: الحَظُّ والغِنَى. وقد سبق بيان هَذَا الحديث في باب فَضْلِ الضَّعفَة.
On the authority of Usāmah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "I stood at the gate of Paradise, and the majority of those who entered it were the poor, while the people of fortune were held back—except that the people of the Fire had already been ordered to the Fire." Agreed upon. "Al-jadd" means good fortune and wealth. The explanation of this hadith has already preceded in the chapter on the merit of the weak.
وعن أَبي هريرة - ﵁ - عن النبي - ﷺ - قَالَ: «أصْدَقُ كَلِمَةٍ قَالَهَا شَاعِرٌ كَلِمَةُ لَبِيدٍ : ألاَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مَا خَلاَ اللهَ بَاطِلُ». متفقٌ عَلَيْهِ.
On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet ﷺ, who said: "The truest word a poet has ever spoken is the word of Labīd: 'Lo, everything apart from Allah is vain.'" Agreed upon.