The Book of Zuhd and Softening of Hearts

The world is a prison-house for a believer and Paradise for a non-believer.

Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham? They said: We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us. He said: Do you wish to have it (free of any cost)? They said: By Allah, even if it were alive (we would not have liked to possess that), for there is detect in it as its ear is very short; now it is dead also. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah as it (this dead lamb) is in your eye.

Jabir reported Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) narrating a hadith like this with a slight variation of wording.

I came to Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) as he was reciting:” Abundance diverts you” (cii. 1). He said: The son of Adam claims: My wealth, my wealth. And he (the Holy Prophet) said: O son of Adam. is there anything as your belonging except that which you consumed, which you utilised, or which you wore and then it was worn out or you gave as charity and sent it forward?

I went to Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ). The rest of the hadith is the same.

A servant says, My wealth. my wealth, but out of his wealth three things are only his: whatever he eats and makes use of or by means of which he dresses himself and it wears out or he gives as charity, and this is what he stored for himself (as a reward for the Hereafter), and what is beyond this (it is of no use to you) because you are to depart and leave it for other people.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of al-‘Ala’ b. ‘Abd al-Rahman with the same chain of transmitters.

Three things follow the bier of a dead man. two of them come back and one is left with him: the members of his family. wealth and his-good deeds. The members of his family and wealth come back and the deeds alone are left with him.

I think you have heard about the arrival of Abu Ubaida with goods from Bahrain. They said: Allah’s Messenger. yes, it is so. Thereupon he said: Be happy and be hopeful of that what gives you delight. By Allah, it is not the poverty about which I fear in regard to you but I am afraid in your case that (the worldly) riches way be given to you as were given to those who had gone before you and you begin to vie with one another for them as they vied for them. and these may destroy you as these destroyed them.

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Zuhri as reported by Yunus with a slight variation of wording.

How would you be, O people, when Persia and Rome would be conquered for you? `Abd ar-Rahman b `Auf said: We would say as Allah has commanded us and we would express our gratitude to Allah. Thereupon Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Nothing else besides it? You would (in fact) vie with one another, then you would feel jealous, then your relations would be estranged and then you will bear enmity against one another, or something to the same effect. Then you would go to the poor emigrants and would make some the masters of the others.

When one of you looks at one who stands at a higher level than you in regard to wealth and physical structure he should also see one who stands at a lower level than you in regard to these things (in which he stands) at a higher level (as compared to him).

This hadith has been narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira through another chain of transmitters.

Look at those who stand at a lower level than you but don’t look at those who stand at a higher level than you, for this would make the favours (conferred upon you by Allah) insignificant (in your eyes). Abu Mu’awiya said: Upon you.

There were three persons in Bani Isra’il, one suffering from leprosy, the other bald-headed and the third one blind. Allah decided to test them. So He sent an angel who came to one who was suffering from leprosy and said: Which thing do you like most? He said: Beautiful colour and fine skin and removal of that which makes me detestable in the eye of people. He wiped him and his illness was no more and he was conferred upon beautiful colour and beautiful skin. He (the angel) again said: Which property do you like most? He said: Camels, or he said: The cow the narrator is, however, doubtful about it, but (out of the persons) suffering from leprosy or baldness one of them definitely said: The came]. And the other one said: Cow. And he (one who demanded came]) was bestowed upon a she-camel, in an advanced stage of pregnancy, and while giving he said: May Allah bless you in this I Then he came to the bald-headed person and said: Which thing do you like most? He said: Beautiful hair and that (this baldness) may be removed from me because of which people hate me He wiped his body and his illness was removed and he was bestowed upon beautiful hair, and the angel said: Which wealth do you like most? He said: The cow. And he was given a pregnant cow and while handing it over to him he (the angel) said: May Allah bless you in this I Then he came to the blind man and he said: Which thing do you like most? He said: Allah should restore my eyesight so that I should be able to see people with the help of that. He wiped his body and Allah restored to him his eyesight, and he (the angel) also said: Which wealth do you like most? He said. The flock of sheep. And he was given a pregnant goat and that gave birth to young ones and it so happened that one valley abounded in camels and the other one in goats and the third one in sheep. He then came to one suffering from leprosy in his (old) form and shape and he said: I am a poor person and my provision has run short in my journey and there is none to take me to my destination except with the help of Allah and your favour. I beg of you in His name Who gave you fine colour and fine skin, and the camel in the shape of wealth (to confer upon me) a camel which should carry me in my journey. He said: I have many responsibilities to discharge. Thereupon he said: I perceive as if I recognise you. Were you not suffering from leprosy whom people hated and you were a destitude and Allah conferred upon you (wealth) He said: I have inherited this property from my forefathers. Thereupon he said: If you are a liar may Allah change you to that very position in which you had been. He then came to the one who was bald-headed in his (old) form and said to him the same what he had said to him (one suffering from leprosy) and he gave him the same reply as he had given him and he said: If you ‘are a liar, may Allah turn you to your previous position in which you had been. And then he came to the blind man in his (old) form and shape and he said: I am a destitute person and a wayfarer. My provision have ran short and today there is no way to reach the destination but with the help of Allah and then with your help and I beg of you in the (name) of One Who restored your eyesight and gave you the flock of sheep to give me a sheep by which I should be able to make my provisions for the journey. He said: I was blind and Allah restored to me my eyesight; you take whatever you like and leave whatever you like. By Allah. I shall not stand in your way today for what you take in the name of God. Thereupon, he said: You keep with you what you have (in your possession). The fact is that you three were put to test and Allah is well pleased with you and He is annoyed with your companions.

I seek refuge with Allah from the mischief of this rider. And as he got down he said to him: You are busy with your camels and your sheep and you have abandoned people who are contending with one another for kingdom. Sa’d struck his chest and said: Keep quite. I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Allah loves the servant who is God-conscious and is free from want and is hidden (from the view of people).

By Allah, I am the first person amongst the Arabs to throw an arrow in the cause of Allah and we used to go with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and there was no food for us to eat but only the leaves of hubla and samur trees (they are wild trees) and as a result thereof one amongst us would relieve himself as does the goat. (How strange it is) that now the people of Banu Asad (the progeny of Zubair) instruct me in religion and try to impose punishment upon me (in regard to it). If it is so (that I am so ignorant of religion), then indeed, I am undone and my deeds have been lost. Ibn Numair, however, did not make a mention of the word (idhan) thus? (in his narration).

” One amongst us would relieve himself as the goats do without anything mixing with its excrement.”

‘Utba b. Ghazwan delivered us a sermon and he praised Allah and lauded Him, then said: Now coming to the point, verily the world has been given the news of its end and that too quite early. Nothing would be left out of it but only water left in the utensil which its owner leaves, and you are going to shift to an abode which knows no end, and you should shift with the good before you, for we have been told that a stone would be thrown at one side of the Hell and it would go down even for seventy years but would not be able to reach its bottom. By Allah, it would be fully packed. Do you find it something strange, and it has been mentioned that there yawns a distance which one would be able to cover in forty years from one end to another of Paradise, and a day would come when it would be fully packed and you must be knowing that I was the seventh amongst seven who had been with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) and we had nothing to eat but the leaves of the tree until the corners of the mouth were injured. We found a sheet which we tore in two and divided between myself and Sa’d b. Malik. I made the lower garment with halt of it and so did Sa’d make the lower garment with half of it and today there is none amongst us who has not become the governor of a city from amongst the cities (of the Islamic Commonwealth) and I seek refuge with Allah that I should consider myself great whereas I am insignificant in the eye of Allah. Prophethood does not remain for ever and its impact fades with the result that it changes eventually into kingship, and you would soon come to know and experience those rulers who would come after us and see (how far they are from religion).

Khalid b. ‘Umair reported and he had seen the pre-Islamic days also, that ‘Uqba b. Ghazwan delivered this address and he was the governor of Basra. The rest of the hadith is the same as transmitted by Shaiban.

I heard Uqba b. Ghazwan as saving: I found myself as the seventh amongst the seven who had been along with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ). We had nothing to eat but the leaves of hubla (a wild tree) until the corners of our mouths were injured.

Allah’s Messenger, will we be able to see our Lord on the Day of Judgment? He said: Do you feel any difficulty in seeing the sun in the noon when there is no cloud over it? They said: No. He again said: Do you feel any difficulty in seeing the moon on the fourteenth night when there is no cloud over it? They said: No. Thereupon he said: By Allah Who is One in Whose Hand is my life. you will not face any difficulty in seeing your Lord but only so much as you feel in seeing one of them. Then Allah would sit in judgment upon the servant and would say: O, so and so, did I not honour you and make you the chief and provide you the spouse and subdue for you horses, camels, and afforded you an opportunity to rule over your subjects? He would say: Yes. And then it would be said: Did you not think that you would meet Us? And he would say: No. Thereupon He (Allah) would say: Well, We forget you as you forgot Us. Then the second person would be brought for judgment. (And Allah would) say: 0, so and so. did We not honour you and make you the chief and make you pair and subdue for you horses and camels and afford you an opportunity to rule over your subjects? He would say: Yes, my Lord. And He (the Lord) would say: Did you not think that you would be meeting Us? And he would say: No. And then He (Allah) would say: Well, I forget you today as you forgot Us. Then the third -one would be brought and He (Allah) would say to him as He said before. And he (the third person) would say: O, my Lord, I affirmed my faith in Thee and in Thy Book and in Thy Messenger and I observed prayer and fasts and gave charity, and he would speak in good terms like this as he would be able to do. And He (Allah) would say: Well, We will bring our witnesses to you. And the man would think in his mind who would bear witness upon him and then his mouth would be sealed and it would be said to his thighs, to his flesh and to his bones to speak and his thighs. flesh and bones would bear witness to his deeds and it would be done so that he should not be able to make any excuse for himself and he would be a hypocrite and Allah would be annoyed with him.

We were in the company of Allah’s Messenger (way peace be upon him) that he smiled and said: Do you know why I laughed? We said: Allah and His Messenger, know best. Thereupon he said: It was because of the (fact that there came to my mind the) talk which the servant would have with his Lord. (on the Day of judgment). He would say: My Lord, have you not guaranteed me protection against injustice? He would say: Yes. Then the servant would say: I do not deem valid any witness against me but my own self, and He would say: Well, enough would he the witness of your self against you and that of the two angels who had been appointed to record your deeds. Then the seal would be set upon his mouth and it would be said to his hands and feet to speak and they would speak of his deeds. Then the mouth would be made free to talk, he would say (to the bands and feet): Be away, let there be curse of Allah upon you. It was for your safety that I contended.

O Allah, make for the family of Muhammad the provision which is a bare subsistence.

0 Allah, provide for the, family of Muhammad their subsistence, and in the narration transmitted on the authority of ‘Amr (the words are):” O Allah, provide us subsistence”

‘Umara b. al-Qa’qa’ reported this hadith with the same chain of transmitters but instead of the word” qut” (bare subsistence) there has been used the word” Kafaf” (adequate means to meet the needs).

Never had the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) eaten to the fill since their, arrival in Medina with the bread of wheat for three successive nights until his (Holy Prophet’s) death.

Never did Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) eat to his fill the bread of wheat for three successive days until he had run the course of his life.

Never did the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) eat to the fill the bread of barley for two successive days until Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) died.

Never could the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) (afford to eat to the fill) the bread of wheat beyond three days (successively).

Never could the family of Muhammad (may peace. be upon him) (afford to eat) the bread of wheat for three (successive days) until he ran the course of his life.

Never could the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) (afford to eat) the bread of wheat for two days successively. Even (out of these two days) one (was such wherein he could get) only a date.

We the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) used to spend (the whole) month in which we (did not need to) kindle the fire as (we had nothing to cook) ; we had only dates and water (to fill our bellies).

” We used to spend-” And he did not make a mention of the family of Muhammad (ﷺ), and Abu Kuraib made this addition to his hadith which was transmitted on the authority of Ibn Numair (and the words are):” But this that there was brought to us some meat.”

‘A’isha reported that Allah’s Messenger (way peace be upon him) died (in such a state) that there had been nothing in my wooden tub which a living being could afford to eat but a handful of barley therein. I had been eating out of that for a fairly long duration when I thought of measuring it and it was almost finished.

Son of my sister, by Allah, I used to see the new moon, then the new moon, then the new moon, i. e. three moons in two months, and fire was not kindled in the house of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ). I (‘Urwa) said: Auntie, then what were your means of sustenance? She said: Dates and water. But it (so happened) that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had some Ansar as his neighbours and they had milch animals and they used to send to Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) some milk of their (animals) and he served that to us.

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) died (in a state) that it never happened that he could eat to his fill the bread with olive oil twice during a day.

‘A’isha reported this hadith through other chains of transmitters also (and the words are) that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) died (in a state) when the people could afford to eat only the dates and water.

water and dates.

” We could not afford to eat to the fill even dates and water.”

By Him in Whose Hand is my life and Ibn ‘Abbad also said: By One in Whose hand is the life of Abu Huraira, Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) could not afford to provide adequate food to his family which could (fill their bellies) with bread and wheat for three days successively until he left the world.

I saw Abu Huraira point with his finger many a time and saying: By One in Whose Hand is the life of Abu Huraira, Allah’s Apostle (ﷺ) could not eat to his fill and provide his family bread of wheat beyond three days successively until he left the world.

Don’t you eat and drink according to your heart’s desire, whereas I saw that your Prophet (ﷺ) (at times) could not find even an inferior quality of the dates with which he could fill his belly? Qutaiba, however, did not make a mention of It.

” You are not satisfied with the qualities of dates and butter.”

I heard Nu’man deliver an address in which he said that (Hadrat) Umar made a mention of what had fallen to the lot of people out of the material world and he said: I saw Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) spend the whole day being upset because of hunger and he could not get even an interior quality of dates with which he could fill his belly.

I heard that a person asked ‘Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. ‘As and heard him saying: Are we not amongst the destitute of the emigrants? Abdullah said to him: Have you a spouse with whom you live? He said: Yes. Abdullah asked: Do you not have a home in which you reside? The man replied “Yes.” Abdullah said: Then you are amongst the rich. He said: I have a servant also. Thereupon he (Abdullah b. ‘Amr b. ‘As) said: Then you are amongst the kings. Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman reported that three persons came to ‘Abdullah b. Amr b. ‘As while I was sitting with him and they said: By Allah, we have nothing with us either in the form of provision, riding animals or wealth. Thereupon he said to them: I am prepared to do whatever you like. If you come to us, we would give you what Allah would make available for you. and if you like I would make a mention of your case to the ruler, and if you like you can show patience also. for I have heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: The destitute amongst the emigrants would precede the rich emigrants by forty years in getting into Paradise on the Day of Resurrection. Thereupon they said: We then, show patience and do not ask for anything.