Part of Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous (series completed)
· Lesson 60 of 190
Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (70) | Chapter on the virtue of asceticism in this world (4)
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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*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.
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Chapter: The Virtue of Asceticism (*Zuhd*) in the World, Encouragement to Settle for Little of It, and the Virtue of Poverty.
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On the authority of Abu 'Amr—also said to be Abu 'Abdullah or Abu Layla—'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him,
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that the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: "The son of Adam has no right to anything beyond these traits:
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a house to live in, clothing to cover his nakedness, and a chunk of bread and water." Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
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Al-Tirmidhi said: I heard Abu Dawud Sulayman ibn Salim al-Balkhi saying: I heard al-Nadr ibn Shumayl saying:
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*Jilf al-khubz* means bread without any condiment; others said it means coarse bread.
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Al-Harawi said: What is meant here is the container for bread, such as a sack or saddlebag, and Allah knows best.
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"Like a sack," meaning like containers. Among the lessons of the hadith:
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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.
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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,
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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﴿.
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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,
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or what you give in charity and pass on?" Narrated by Muslim.
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"Consume" means used up and spent; "wear out" comes from *ibla'*, which is wearing out new clothes until they are old.
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"Pass on" means you executed the charity and gave it to those who deserved it.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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People are preoccupied with the transient and heedless of the eternal.
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No matter how much wealth a person amasses, he gains nothing from it except what was mentioned in the hadith.
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A servant amasses wealth for others, forgetting that he will be held accountable for it.
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Whatever people have will perish, and whatever is with Allah will remain.
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On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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A man said to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him:
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"O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I truly love you."
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He replied: "Consider what you are saying."
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The man said: "By Allah, I truly love you," three times.
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He said: "If you love me, then prepare a shield for poverty,
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for poverty reaches those who love me faster than a flood reaches its destination."
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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
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A *tijfaf* is a protective covering worn by a horse to ward off harm, and a human may also wear it.
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"Prepare" means make ready; "its destination" means the place it ultimately reaches.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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Asceticism in this worldly life and refraining from indulging in it
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is evidence of sincere love for the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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because a sincere lover must adopt the characteristics of his beloved.
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On the authority of Ka'b ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Two hungry wolves unleashed among sheep
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do not cause more corruption to them than a man's craving for wealth and prestige does to his religion."
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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
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"Do not cause more corruption to them," meaning do not cause greater harm to the sheep.
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"Prestige" (*al-sharaf*) means high social status.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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An eager craving to amass wealth and striving to attain status and prominence
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corrupts one's religion,
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because preferring this world over the Hereafter is evident in both of them.
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Whoever has been entrusted by Allah with a flock,
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ought to protect it with what benefits it,
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shield it from places of destruction, and guard it against its enemies.
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The first flock a servant is responsible for is his own soul that lies between his sides;
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he must safeguard it from the Fire of Hell.
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The self is inherently covetous,
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so one must train it to be content;
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for if he does not wean it, it will cast him into destruction.
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On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, slept on a reed mat,
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and when he stood up, it had left marks on his side.
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So we said: "O Messenger of Allah,
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if only we were to prepare a soft mattress for you."
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He replied: "What do I have to do with this world?
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I am not in this world except like a rider who seeks shade under a tree,
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then moves on and leaves it behind."
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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
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*Wita'*:
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meaning a soft, comfortable bed upon which one rests.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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An illustration of the Prophet's asceticism, peace be upon him.
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A student observing his teacher's condition
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to learn good demeanor and conduct from him.
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It is recommended for a student to offer whatever alleviates discomfort from his teacher.
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This world is a realm of transition and passage,
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and man within it is merely a passing wayfarer.
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The importance of building the Hereafter through righteous deeds.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"The poor will enter Paradise before the rich
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by five hundred years."
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Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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The superiority of the poor who perform righteous deeds
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over the rich who fall into disobedience.
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Possessors of wealth
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will be questioned by Allah about their wealth:
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from where they earned it,
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and where they placed and spent it.
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A servant should only take from this world
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that which conveys him safely to his final abode and the Hereafter.
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On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas
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and 'Imran ibn Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them,
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from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
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"I looked into Paradise
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and saw that the majority of its dwellers were the poor,
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and I looked into the Fire
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and saw that the majority of its dwellers were women."
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Agreed upon from the narration of Ibn 'Abbas,
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and al-Bukhari also narrated it from the narration of 'Imran ibn Husayn.
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"I looked" (*ittala'tu*),
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meaning I observed and peered into.
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"And I saw," meaning I came to know.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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The poor in Paradise are more numerous than the rich,
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though the poor person did not enter Paradise merely due to his poverty,
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but rather entered it by virtue of his righteous deeds.
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Incitement to abandon excessive indulgence in worldly expansion
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and seeking an abundance of its transient pleasures.
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Urging women toward righteous deeds
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so that they may protect themselves from the Fire.
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On the authority of Usamah ibn Zayd, may Allah be pleased with them both,
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from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
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"I stood at the gate of Paradise,
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and most of those who entered it were the destitute,
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while the people of fortune and wealth were held back,
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except that the companions of the Fire were ordered to be taken to the Fire."
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Agreed upon.
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*Al-Jadd* means fortune, status, and wealth.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:
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"The truest statement ever spoken by a poet
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is the word of Labid:
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'Behold, everything besides Allah is utterly false and transient.'"
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Agreed upon.
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"Word" (*kalimah*) here means a complete, meaningful sentence
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that corresponds to ultimate reality.
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Labid is Labid ibn Rabi'ah,
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one of the noble knight-poets of the pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah)
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from the people of the upper highlands of Najd.
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He lived until the advent of Islam,
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came as an emissary to the Prophet, peace be upon him,
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is counted among the Companions and those whose hearts were reconciled,
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gave up composing poetry after embracing Islam,
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and lived a long life.
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"Besides Allah" (*ma khala Allah*),
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meaning other than Allah and His divine attributes.
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Among the lessons of the hadith:
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The Prophet's citing of poetry as an illustration, peace be upon him;
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the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would cite a hemistich of verse.
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Indeed, there is wisdom in some poetry.
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The deficiency and transience of this worldly life,
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since its inevitable end is demise and destruction.
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Affirming the truth and embracing it
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whenever a Muslim servant encounters it,
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for he is the most deserving of people to take hold of it.
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*Riyadh al-Salihin* (The Meadows of the Righteous).