Hadith Collection
1. “Be in this world as if you were a stranger”
Hadith 8.425 Narrated by Mujahid (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) said, “Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler.” The sub-narrator added: Ibn ‘Umar (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) used to say, “If you survive till the evening, do not expect to be alive in the morning, and if you survive till the morning, do not expect to be alive in the evening, and take from your health for your sickness, and (take) from your life for your death.”
2. Hoping for long life and worldly pleasures
Hadith 8.426 Narrated by Abdullah (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) drew a square and then drew a line in the middle of it and let it extend outside the square and then drew several small lines attached to that centerline, and said, “This is the human being, and this, (the square) in his lease of life, encircles him from all sides (or has encircled him), and this (line), which is outside (the square), is his hope, and these small lines are the calamities and troubles (which may befall him), and if one misses him, another will snap (i.e. overtake) him, and if the other misses him, a third will snap (i.e. overtake) him.”
Hadith 8.427 Narrated by Anas bin Malik (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) drew a few lines and said, “This is (man’s) hope, and this is the instant of his death, and while he is in this state (of hope), the nearer line (death) comes to Him.”
3. Asking Allah for new lease of life at sixty
Hadith 8.428 Narrated by Abu Huraira (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allah will not accept the excuse of any person whose instant of death is delayed till he is sixty years of age.”
Hadith 8.429 Narrated by Abu Huraira (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
I heard Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) saying, “The heart of an old man remains young in two respects, i.e., his love for the world (its wealth, amusements and luxuries) and his incessant hope.”
Hadith 8.430 Narrated by Anas bin Malik (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The son of Adam (i.e. man) grows old and so also two (desires) grow old with him, i.e., love for wealth and (a wish for) a long life.”
4. Deeds for the sake of Allah
Hadith 8.431 Narrated by Utban bin Malik Al Ansari (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
Who was one of the men of the tribe of Bani Salim: Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) came to me and said, “If anybody comes on the Day of Resurrection who has said: La ilaha illal-lah, sincerely, with the intention to win Allah’s Pleasure, Allah will make the Hell-Fire forbidden for him.”
Hadith 8.432 Narrated by Abu Huraira (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Allah says, ‘I have nothing to give but Paradise as a reward to my believer slave, who, if I cause his dear friend (or relative) to die, remains patient (and hopes for Allah’s Reward).”
5. Competing against each other
Hadith 8.433 Narrated by Amr bin Auf (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
(An ally of the tribe of Bani ‘Amir bin Lu’ai and one of those who had witnessed the battle of Badr with Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)) Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) sent Abu ‘Ubaida bin Al-Jarrah (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) to Bahrain to collect the Jizya tax. Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) had concluded a peace treaty with the people of Bahrain and appointed Al ‘Ala bin Al-Hadrami (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) as their chief; Abu Ubaida (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) arrived from Bahrain with the money. The Ansar heard of Abu ‘Ubaida’s (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) arrival which coincided with the Fajr (morning) prayer led by Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam). When the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) finished the prayer, they came to him. Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) smiled when he saw them and said, “I think you have heard of the arrival of Abu ‘Ubaida and that he has brought something.” They replied, “Yes, O Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)!” He said, “Have the good news and hope for what will please you. By Allah, I am not afraid that you will become poor, but I am afraid that worldly wealth will be given to you in abundance as it was given to those (nations) before you, and you will start competing with each other for it as the previous nations competed for it, and then it will divert you (from good) as it diverted them.”
Hadith 8.434 Narrated by Uqba bin Amir (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) went out and offered the funeral prayer for the martyrs of the (battle of) Uhud and then ascended the pulpit and said, “I am your predecessor and I am a witness against you. By Allah, I am now looking at my Tank-lake (Al-Kauthar) and I have been given the keys of the treasures of the earth (or the keys of the earth). By Allah! I am not afraid that after me you will worship others besides Allah, but I am afraid that you will start competing for (the pleasures of) this world.”
Hadith 8.435 Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The thing I am afraid of most for your sake, is the worldly blessings which Allah will bring forth to you.” It was said, “What are the blessings of this world?” The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The pleasures of the world.” A man said, “Can the good bring forth evil?” The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) kept quiet for a while till we thought that he was being inspired divinely. Then he started removing the sweat from his forehead and said, “Where is the questioner?” That man said, “I (am present).” Abu Sa’id (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) added: We thanked the man when the result (of his question) was such. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Good never brings forth but good. This wealth (of the world) is (like) green and sweet (fruit), and all the vegetation which grows on the bank of a stream either kills or nearly kills the animal that eats too much of it, except the animal that eats the Khadira (a kind of vegetation). Such an animal eats till its stomach is full and then it faces the sun and starts ruminating and then it passes out dung and urine and goes to eat again. This worldly wealth is (like) sweet (fruit), and if a person earns it (the wealth) in a legal way and spends it properly, then it is an excellent helper, and whoever earns it in an illegal way, he will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied.”
Hadith 8.436 Narrated by Zahdam bin Mudarrib (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
‘Imran bin Husain (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) said: The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The best people are my contemporaries (i.e., the present (my) generation) and then those who come after them (i.e., the next generation).” Imran (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) added: I am not sure whether the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) repeated the statement twice after his first saying. The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) added, “And after them there will come people who will bear witness, though they will not be asked to give their witness; and they will be treacherous and nobody will trust them, and they will make vows, but will not fulfill them, and fatness will appear among them.”
Hadith 8.437 Narrated by Abdullah (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The best people are those of my generation, and then those who will come after them (the next generation), and then those who will come after them (i.e. the next generation), and then after them, there will come people whose witness will precede their oaths, and whose oaths will precede their witness.”
Hadith 8.438 Narrated by Qais (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
I heard Khabbab (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu), who had branded his abdomen with seven brands, saying, “Had Allah’s Apostle (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) not forbidden us to invoke Allah for death, I would have invoked Allah for death. The companions of Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) have left this world without taking anything of their reward in it (i.e., they will have perfect reward in the Hereafter), but we have collected of the worldly wealth what we cannot spend but on earth (i.e. on building houses).”
Hadith 8.439 Narrated by Qais (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
I came to Khabbab (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) while he was building a wall, and he (Khabbab (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)) said, “Our companions who have left this world, did not enjoy anything of their reward therein, while we have collected after them, much wealth that we cannot spend but on earth (i.e., on building).”
Hadith 8.440 Narrated by Khabbab (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
We migrated with the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam). (This narration is related to the chapter on migration).
6. ‘O men! Certainly, the Promise of Allah is true”
Hadith 8.441 Narrated by Ibn Abbas (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
I brought water to Uthman bin ‘Affan (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu) to perform the ablution while he was sitting on his seat. He performed the ablution in a perfect way and said, “I saw the Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) performing the ablution in this place and he performed it in a perfect way and said, “Whoever performs the ablution as I have done this time and then proceeds to the mosque and offers a two-Rak’at prayer and then sits there (waiting for the compulsory congregational prayers), then all his past sins will be forgiven.” The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) further added, “Do not be conceited (thinking that your sins will be forgiven because of your prayer).”
7. The righteous people will die
Hadith 8.442 Narrated by Mirdas Al Aslami (Radhiallah hu Taala anhu)
The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The righteous (pious people will depart (die) in succession one after the other, and there will remain (on the earth) useless people like the useless husk of barley seeds or bad dates.”