*Riyadh al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous) from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The Virtue of Asceticism (*Zuhd*) in the World, Encouragement to Settle for Little of It, and the Virtue of Poverty.
On the authority of Abu 'Amr—also said to be Abu 'Abdullah or Abu Layla—'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "The son of Adam has no right to anything beyond these traits:
a house to live in, clothing to cover his nakedness, and a chunk of bread and water." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
Al-Tirmidhi said: I heard Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn Salim al-Balkhi saying: I heard al-Nadr ibn Shumayl saying:
*Jilf al-khubz* means bread without any condiment; others said it means coarse bread.
Al-Harawi said: What is meant here is the container for bread, such as a sack or saddlebag, and Allah knows best.
"Like a sack," meaning like containers. Among the lessons of the hadith:
Being content with the bare minimum in this worldly life: a house to dwell in, clothes to conceal one's nakedness, and bread and water.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn al-Shikhkhir—with a *kasrah* on the *shin* and a doubled *kha'*, both dotted—may Allah be pleased with him,
who said: I came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, while he was reciting: ﴾Competition in worldly increase diverts you﴿.
He said: "The son of Adam says, 'My wealth, my wealth!' Yet do you have any of your wealth, O son of Adam, except what you eat and consume, what you wear and wear out,
or what you give in charity and pass on?" Narrated by Muslim.
"Consume" means used up and spent; "wear out" comes from *ibla'*, which is wearing out new clothes until they are old.
"Pass on" means you executed the charity and gave it to those who deserved it.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
People are preoccupied with the transient and heedless of the eternal.
No matter how much wealth a person amasses, he gains nothing from it except what was mentioned in the hadith.
A servant amasses wealth for others, forgetting that he will be held accountable for it.
Whatever people have will perish, and whatever is with Allah will remain.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
A man said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
"O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I truly love you."
He replied: "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 shield for poverty,
for poverty reaches those who love me faster than a flood reaches its destination."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
A *tijfaf* is a protective covering worn by a horse to ward off harm, and a human may also wear it.
"Prepare" means make ready; "its destination" means the place it ultimately reaches.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
Asceticism in this worldly life and refraining from indulging in it
is evidence of sincere love for the Prophet, peace be upon him,
because a sincere lover must adopt the characteristics of his beloved.
On the authority of Ka'b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Two hungry wolves unleashed among sheep
do not cause more corruption to them than a man's craving for wealth and prestige does to his religion."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
"Do not cause more corruption to them," meaning do not cause greater harm to the sheep.
"Prestige" (*al-sharaf*) means high social status.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
An eager craving to amass wealth and striving to attain status and prominence
corrupts one's religion,
because preferring this world over the Hereafter is evident in both of them.
Whoever has been entrusted by Allah with a flock,
ought to protect it with what benefits it,
shield it from places of destruction, and guard it against its enemies.
The first flock a servant is responsible for is his own soul that lies between his sides;
he must safeguard it from the Fire of Hell.
The self is inherently covetous,
so one must train it to be content;
for if he does not wean it, it will cast him into destruction.
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, slept on a reed mat,
and when he stood up, it had left marks on his side.
So we said: "O Messenger of Allah,
if only we were to prepare a soft mattress for you."
He replied: "What do I have to do with this world?
I am not in this world except like a rider who seeks shade under a tree,
then moves on and leaves it behind."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
*Wita'*:
meaning a soft, comfortable bed upon which one rests.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
An illustration of the Prophet's asceticism, peace be upon him.
A student observing his teacher's condition
to learn good demeanor and conduct from him.
It is recommended for a student to offer whatever alleviates discomfort from his teacher.
This world is a realm of transition and passage,
and man within it is merely a passing wayfarer.
The importance of building the Hereafter through righteous deeds.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"The poor will enter Paradise before the rich
by five hundred years."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The superiority of the poor who perform righteous deeds
over the rich who fall into disobedience.
Possessors of wealth
will be questioned by Allah about their wealth:
from where they earned it,
and where they placed and spent it.
A servant should only take from this world
that which conveys him safely to his final abode and the Hereafter.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas
and 'Imran ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"I looked into Paradise
and saw that the majority of its dwellers were the poor,
and I looked into the Fire
and saw that the majority of its dwellers were women."
Agreed upon from the narration of Ibn 'Abbas,
and al-Bukhari also narrated it from the narration of 'Imran ibn Husayn.
"I looked" (*ittala'tu*),
meaning I observed and peered into.
"And I saw," meaning I came to know.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The poor in Paradise are more numerous than the rich,
though the poor person did not enter Paradise merely due to his poverty,
but rather entered it by virtue of his righteous deeds.
Incitement to abandon excessive indulgence in worldly expansion
and seeking an abundance of its transient pleasures.
Urging women toward righteous deeds
so that they may protect themselves from the Fire.
On the authority of Usamah ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with them both,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"I stood at the gate of Paradise,
and most of those who entered it were the destitute,
while the people of fortune and wealth were held back,
except that the companions of the Fire were ordered to be taken to the Fire."
Agreed upon.
*Al-Jadd* means fortune, status, and wealth.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
"The truest statement ever spoken by a poet
is the word of Labid:
'Behold, everything besides Allah is utterly false and transient.'"
Agreed upon.
"Word" (*kalimah*) here means a complete, meaningful sentence
that corresponds to ultimate reality.
Labid is Labid ibn Rabi'ah,
one of the noble knight-poets of the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah)
from the people of the upper highlands of Najd.
He lived until the advent of Islam,
came as an emissary to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
is counted among the Companions and those whose hearts were reconciled,
gave up composing poetry after embracing Islam,
and lived a long life.
"Besides Allah" (*ma khala Allah*),
meaning other than Allah and His divine attributes.
Among the lessons of the hadith:
The Prophet's citing of poetry as an illustration, peace be upon him;
the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would cite a hemistich of verse.
Indeed, there is wisdom in some poetry.
The deficiency and transience of this worldly life,
since its inevitable end is demise and destruction.
Affirming the truth and embracing it
whenever a Muslim servant encounters it,
for he is the most deserving of people to take hold of it.
*Riyadh al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous).