*Riyad 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 Hunger, Living a Rigorous Life,
Restricting Oneself to Little Food, Drink, and Clothing,
And Renouncing Other Desires and Pleasures of the Self.
On the authority of Khalid ibn 'Umayr al-'Adawi, who said:
'Utbah ibn Ghazwan, who was the governor of Basra, delivered a sermon to us.
He praised and extolled Allah, then said:
"To proceed: Verily, this world has announced its departure
and turned away swiftly,
and nothing remains of it except a meager remnant like the dregs left in a vessel
which its owner tries to drain.
You are surely moving from it to an abode that knows no end,
so depart with the best of what you have at hand.
For it has been mentioned to us that a stone thrown from the brink of Hellfire
falls through it for seventy years
without reaching its bottom.
Yet, by Allah, it will surely be filled—does that surprise you?
And it has been mentioned to us that the distance between two doorposts of the gates of Paradise
is a journey of forty years,
yet a day will certainly come upon it when it is packed with throngs of people.
Indeed, I remember myself as the seventh of seven with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
having no food except tree leaves,
until the sides of our mouths became ulcerated.
Then I found a cloak and tore it in half between myself and Sa'd ibn Malik;
I wore half of it as a waist-wrap,
and Sa'd wore the other half as a waist-wrap.
Yet today, not one of us remains
except that he has become a governor over one of the major cities.
And I seek refuge in Allah from being great in my own eyes,
yet small in the sight of Allah."
Related by Muslim.
His saying *'adhanat'* means it has announced.
His saying *'bi-sarmin'*—
his saying *'bi-sarmin'*
means its severance and passing away.
His saying *'wallat hadhdha'*
means it has turned away swiftly.
And *al-subabah* is the meager remnant left behind.
His saying *'yatasabbabuha'*
means he tries to collect it.
And *al-kaziz* means packed full and crowded.
His saying *'qarihat'*
means sores and ulcers formed in them.
*Shafir Jahannam*
means its uppermost edge.
*Fayahwi* means it falls downward.
*Qa'ran*—
*al-qa'r* is the very bottom of something.
*Misra'ayn*
is the dual form of *misra'*,
which is one leaf of a two-leaved door.
*Ashdaquna*
is the plural of *shidq*,
which is the inner side of the cheek or corner of the mouth.
*Burdah*
refers to a striped woolen cloak.
Among the beneficial lessons of this hadith:
The Sunnah regarding the sermon
is to begin with the praise and glorification of Allah as He deserves,
followed by invoking blessings upon the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
The legitimacy of advising one's brothers,
encouraging them toward good,
and warning them of the Hereafter.
The nearness of the Hour
and the swift passing and vanishing of this worldly life.
Demonstrating the majesty of Allah Almighty
through the immense creation of the Fire and Paradise.
The vast multitude of those entering Paradise
owing to the all-encompassing mercy of Allah Almighty
and His abundant grace.
An illustration of the condition of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and the early Companions who preceded others in Islam,
regarding the severity of their hardships
and the austerity of their lives,
all for the sake of spreading the religion of Allah Almighty among all mankind.
Thus, when they showed patience and possessed firm conviction,
they became leaders guiding by Allah's command,
and the succession and empowerment on earth were fulfilled for them—
which the Lord of the worlds promised
to His believing servants.
The obligation of taking refuge in Allah Almighty
from the delusions of the self and the embellishments of Satan.
On the authority of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, brought out to us
a thick woolen garment and a coarse lower wrap,
and said:
"The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was taken in death
while wearing these two."
Agreed upon.
*Kisa'* means a garment,
and *izar* means the garment that covers the body
from the navel downward.
*Ghaliz* means coarse and thick.
Among the beneficial lessons of this hadith:
Encouragement toward living a rugged life
and wearing coarse garments,
in accordance with the principle:
"Accustom yourselves to a rugged life, for blessings do not last forever."
The permissibility of wearing a *kisa'* and an *izar*.
The asceticism of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
as well as his humility and contentment;
for he used to wear whatever was readily available,
without extravagance or pride.
On the authority of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"I was the first of the Arabs to shoot an arrow in the cause of Allah.
We used to go on military expeditions with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
having no food except the leaves of the *hublah* tree
and this *samur* (acacia),
to the extent that one of us would pass stool just as a sheep does,
without it sticking together."
Agreed upon.
*Al-hublah* and *al-samur*
are two well-known types of desert trees.
"Would pass stool" is a polite euphemism for defecation,
"just as a sheep does"
referring to droppings,
*khalat*—
meaning they did not clump together
due to extreme dryness.
Among the beneficial lessons of this hadith:
The permissibility of speaking about the favors of Allah Almighty
and mentioning acts of obedience,
provided this does not lead to conceit or ostentation.
The striving Ummah
does not indulge excessively in food and drink,
nor does it immerse itself in worldly luxuries and pleasures,
because of the lethargy and weakness that result from such indulgence;
rather, it contents itself with little
in order to reach its destination and rightful standing,
and to spread its faith.
The patience of the Companions in enduring the hardships of life
and the coarseness of food,
for the sake of raising the banner of faith
and spreading the message of Islam.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"O Allah, make the provision of the family of Muhammad sufficient for basic sustenance."
Agreed upon.
The scholars of language and rare hadith vocabulary stated:
The meaning of *qutan* (basic sustenance)
is that which merely sustains life and keeps one going.
Among the beneficial lessons of this hadith:
Asceticism is contentment with whatever Allah has apportioned,
being satisfied with the little that strengthens your back,
gets you safely to your destination,
and spares you from need and begging.
Moderation of condition brings safety from the pitfalls of both wealth and poverty.
It is not permissible to ask Allah for poverty,
for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, sought refuge from it;
rather, he asked Allah for sufficiency.
This does not contradict the permissibility of wealth,
provided it is earned lawfully
and Allah's due right regarding it is fulfilled;
for indeed, among the Companions were grateful wealthy individuals.
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"By Allah, besides Whom there is no deity worthy of worship,
I used to press my liver against the ground out of hunger,
and I used to bind a stone against my belly out of hunger.
One day, I sat along their path from which they used to emerge,
and the Prophet, peace be upon him, passed by me.
He smiled when he saw me,
recognizing what was on my face and what was in my heart.
Then he said: 'O Aba Hirr!'
I replied: 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah!'
He said: 'Come along!'
'Come along!'
and he walked on,
so I followed him.
He entered his house, so I asked permission to enter,
and he granted me permission,
so I entered.
He found milk in a bowl
and asked: 'From where did this milk come?'
They said: 'It was gifted to you by so-and-so (man or woman).'
He said: 'O Aba Hirr!'
I replied: 'At your service, O Messenger of Allah!'
He said:
'Go to the people of the Suffah and invite them to me.'
He said:
'The people of the Suffah were the guests of Islam;
they had no families, wealth, or anyone to rely upon.
Whenever charity was brought to him,
he would send it to them
and take nothing from it;
and whenever a gift was brought to him,
he would send for them,
partake of it himself, and share it with them.'
That distressed me,
and I said to myself:
'What is this milk among all the people of the Suffah?
I was more deserving of having a drink from this milk to gain some strength!
Yet when they arrive, he will command me
to be the one serving them,
and what chance is there that any of this milk will reach me?'
But there was no alternative to obeying Allah and obeying His Messenger, peace be upon him.
So I went to them and invited them;
they came, asked for permission to enter,
and he granted them permission,
and took their seats in the house.
He said,
"O Abu Hirr!"
I replied,
"At your service, O Messenger of Allah!"
He said,
"Take it and hand it to them."
He [Abu Hurayrah] said:
So I took the bowl
and began handing it to each man,
who would drink until fully quenched,
then hand the bowl back to me.
I would then hand it to the next,
and he would drink until fully quenched,
then hand the bowl back to me,
until I reached the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
and all the people had drunk their fill.
He then took the bowl
and placed it on his hand,
looked at me, smiled,
and said,
"Abu Hirr!"
I replied,
"At your service, O Messenger of Allah!"
He said,
"Only you and I are left."
I said,
"You have spoken the truth, O Messenger of Allah."
He said,
"Sit down and drink."
So I sat down and drank.
He kept saying,
"Drink,"
and I drank,
and he continued to say,
"Drink,"
until I said,
"No, by the One Who sent you with the truth,
I find no further room for it!"
He said,
"Then show it to me."
So I gave him the bowl;
he praised Allah Almighty, pronounced His Name,
and drank the remainder.
Transmitted by al-Bukhari.
"I would press my liver against the ground,"
meaning: I would press my stomach against it [from severe hunger].
"The bowl" (al-Qadah):
a vessel large enough to quench two men.
"No room for it" (Maslak):
meaning: no passage or place for it to enter.
Among the benefits derived from this hadith:
Concealing one's need or alluding to it
is preferable to stating it explicitly and broadcasting it.
The Prophet's (peace be upon him) honor
shown to the poor among his Companions
and his deep care for them.
Affirmation of the miracle of multiplying food
for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
A man inquiring
about what he finds in his house
that is unfamiliar to him,
so that the appropriate ruling may be applied.
The prohibition of receiving zakat for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and the lawfulness of receiving gifts for him;
this is why he asked about the bowl of milk,
and once informed it was a gift, he accepted it.
The hadith encompasses several etiquettes of eating and drinking,
including:
The Sunnah when drinking is to sit,
and the prohibition of drinking while standing has been established in a number of hadiths.
When the server of a gathering serves a beverage to the people,
he should take the vessel back from each person
and then hand it himself to the next one,
rather than leaving one guest to pass it to his companion,
to avoid any disrespect toward the guest.
The recommendation of offering seconds to the guest,
encouraging them to have more food or drink.
The permissibility of eating and drinking until full,
provided there is no extravagance,
and provided this is not a person's habitual practice,
because moderation is always superior.
Giving precedence to guests, family, and servants over oneself
is among the noble traits of character and the hallmarks of the righteous.
The server of the people should be the last of them to drink.
The recommendation of drinking the remainder,
which is whatever is left in the vessel.
One should pronounce the Name of Allah (Tasmiyah) at the beginning of eating and drinking,
and praise Allah (Tahmid) at the end.
When an invited person arrives at the host's house and residence,
he should not enter without seeking permission;
for this reason, the people of the Suffah sought permission
when they arrived at the houses of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
It is recommended for the guest to sit in the designated place,
with each person taking a seat appropriate to them.
The permissibility of calling someone by their kunyah (teknonym)
and shortening a name affectionately (tarkhim), as it fosters endearment and gladdens hearts.
Riyad al-Salihin.