Narrated Aboo Sa’eed Al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him): Allah's Messengerﷺascended the pulpit and said, "Nothing worries me as to what will happen to you after me, except the temptation of worldly blessings which will be conferred on you." Then he mentioned the flowers of this worldly life(i.e., pleasures). He started with the one and took up the other (i.e., the pleasures). A man got up saying, "O Allah's Messengerﷺ! Can the good bring about evil?" The Prophetﷺremained silent, and we thought that he was receiving revelation, so all the people kept silent with awe. Then the Prophetﷺwiped the sweat off his face and asked, "Where is the present questioner?" "Do you think wealth is good?" he repeated thrice, adding, "No doubt, good produces nothing but good. Indeed, it is like what grows in spring which either kills or nearly kills the grazing animals because of gluttony except the vegetation-eating animal which eats till both its flanks are full (i.e., till it gets satisfied) and then stands in the sun and defecates and urinates and again starts grazing. This worldly property is sweet vegetation. How excellent the wealth of the Muslim is, if it is collected through legal means and is spent in Allah's Cause and on orphans, poor people and travelers. But he who does not take it legally is like an eater who is never satisfied, and his wealth will be a witness against him on the Day of Resurrection."
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Commentary :
Allah has predestined with His infinite wisdom this worldly life to be a place of tests and trials. On one hand, there are those who fall prey to its adornment and compete in acquiring its pleasures, while on the other thereareothers who are aware of its true colours. The latter thus detach themselves from its mortal pleasures and offerings,keeping their focus on the Hereafter, hoping for that which Allah has prepared for His believing servants. They utilise this worldly life and all its pleasures tohelp them attain the eternal pleasures of the Hereafter.
In this hadeeth, the Prophet ﷺ warns his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) of the temptations and desires of this worldly life. In this regard, Aboo Sa’eed al-Khudree (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet ﷺascended the pulpit and addressed his Companions by saying: "Nothing worries me as to what will happen to you after me, except the temptation of worldly blessings which will be conferred on you,” i.e., he ﷺ feared that when they had access to the pleasures of this worldly life, they may distract them from Allah and take them away from His path. Then, he ﷺ mentioned a number of the pleasures and blessings of the earth like money, property, and so on. The Prophet ﷺ likened the worldly pleasures to a flower to indicate that as the flower has a short lifespan and changes from one condition to another quickly, such is this worldly life. Then, one man got up and asked the Prophet ﷺ whether the good can bring about evil as he could not understand how the blessings and pleasures of this life could turn into a curse and evil that leads to Allah’s punishment. The Prophet ﷺremained silent, and the people understood that he was receiving revelation, thus, all of them kept silent with awe. After the revelation ended, the Prophetﷺwiped the sweat off his face, because every time he received revelation, he would sweat a lot, even if it was a very cold day. The Prophet looked for the man who had posed the question, which indicates that he approved his question and found it a good question. He ﷺ then asked him "Do you think wealth is good?" He repeated the question three times. The purpose of the question,however, was only to indirectly object to the presumption that wealth per se is good. Then, he ﷺ added: "No doubt, good produces nothing but good,” i.e., that which is truly good in itself, like Islam, can only produce good, but there are other types of good that may lead to evil, like wealth. It is true that wealth is good, but it may bring forth evil to its owner if it is earned unlawfully or spent wrongly. The statement of the Prophet ﷺexplains to us that the pleasures of this life and the treasures of this earth are not truly good in the ultimate sense because, oftentimes, they are a cause of temptation, and distract people from completely focusing on attaining Allah’s reward and pleasure. After, the Prophet ﷺ gave a parable to illustrate how the blessings and pleasures of this life can be harmful. He likened them to an animaleating what grows in spring – and it is said that the word spring here means the banks of a stream- which either kills or nearly kills the grazing animals because of gluttony. This is an example of that which is not purely good and becomes harmful when a person does not deal with it wisely.
The Prophet ﷺ added that only the vegetation-eating animal which eats till both its flanks are full will survive. This is because cattle eat green grass slowly and gradually until they become full. And then, they stand in the sun to bask in its warmth, and roam around,then defecate and urinate with ease and comfort to keep inside that which nurtures them.Later, when they are hungry, they start grazing again. This example is given about those who are moderate in their efforts to earn money from lawful sources and spend it in lawful ways. After, the Prophet ﷺexplained that wealth is desired and wanted, and human nature is inclined to love it and collect it just like it is naturally inclined to sweet fresh fruits.
He who is given wealth and pays its zakat to those who are entitled to it, like the poor and needy, and spends it on orphans and wayfarerswho do not have enough money to travel back to their homeland, is the best possessor of wealth,and his wealth will testify to his goodness. And whoever earns his wealth unlawfully, Allah will devoid it of His blessings and he will be in pursuit of more wealth as he never feels satisfied, regardless of how much wealth he possesses; thus, he always belittles his wealth and aspires to earn more. He is like a glutton who never feels satiated; the more he consumes, the more food he craves. The wealth of such a person will testify against him on the Day of Judgment and expose his unlawful earning, spending and collection of wealth.
From the benefits that can be concluded from this hadeeth is learning that the Imaam can sit on his pulpit while people are sitting around him listening to his sermon.
The hadeeth shows that parables are useful to help people understand the intended message and meaning, and that one can blame others when asking and objection is disliked or not called for.
It shows that wealth earned through unlawful sources is devoid of Allah’s blessings; and that the scholar may warn whoever sits with him of the temptation of money and worldly pleasures and bring their attention to the aspects of temptation.
This hadeeth encourages us to give away in charity and refrain from withholding money from good causes, and that we should be moderate with wealth..
Hadiths
