The Muslimah Corner

It was narrated on the authority of Abu Najih al-Irbad bin Sariyah, radiyallahu ‘anhu, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, delivered an admonition that made our hearts fearful and our eyes tearful. We said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is as if this were a farewell sermon, so advise us.” He said, “I enjoin you to have Taqwa of Allah and that you listen and obey, even if a slave is made a ruler over you. He among you who lives long enough will see many differences. So for you is to observe my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly-principled and rightly-guided successors, holding on to them with your molar teeth. Beware of newly-introduced matters, for every innovation (bid’ah) is an error.”
[Abu Dawud & Al-Tirmidhi, who says it is an authentic hadith]
- wa3aDanaa : “he admonished, exhorted, advised us”
- maw-3aeDathen : “an admonition,” see discussion below
- wajilat : “became, fearful”
- min-haa : “from it, due to it”
- alQuluu-bu : “the hearts”
- al-3uyu-nu : “the eyes”
- muwad-da3 : “farewell”
- aw-See-kum: “I advise you” (plural)
- as-sam-3ee: “listen”
- aT-Taa-3aatee : “obedience”
- fasayaraa : “he shall then see”
- akh-teelaaafan : “differences”
- katheeran : “lots, many”
- sun-natee : “my sunnah, my way of life, my path”
- al-khulafaa2ee: “successors”
- ar-raasheedeena : the person who is raashid is one who both knows the truth and follows it
- al-mah-deeyyee-na : “the guided ones”
- mu7-dathaatee : “newly introduced things”
- bid-3athin : “innovation, heresy”
- dhalaalathun : “a going astray, misguidance”

This hadith is sahih.

General comments: In this hadith, Prophet pbuh was asked to give final words of advice to his companions. He then stated for them what leads to prosperity in this life and the next. Laid down important principles that will help protect one’s religion when faced with new and different events after the time of the prophet pbuh.

The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, delivered an admonition that made our hearts fearful and our eyes tearful.

We said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is as if this were a farewell sermon, so advise us.”

“He said, “I enjoin you to have Taqwa of Allah …”

“…and that you listen and obey, …”

“…even if a slave is made a ruler over you.”

“He among you who lives long enough will see many differences.”

“So for you is to observe my Sunnah…”

“… and the Sunnah of the rightly-principled and rightly-guided successors,…”

“… holding on to them with your molar teeth.”

“Beware of newly-introduced matters,…”

“…for every innovation (bid’ah) is an error.”

From Mu’adh bin Jabal, radiyallahu ‘anhu, who said: I said:

“O Messenger of Allah, inform me of an act which will place me into Paradise and will keep me away from the fire.” He said: “You have asked me about a great matter, yet it is, indeed, an easy matter for him to whom Allah Almighty makes it easy. (It is ) that you worship Allah without associating anything with Him, that you perform the prayers, that you pay the zakat, that you fast during Ramadan, and that you make the pilgrimage to the House.”

Then he said: “Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness? Fasting is a shield; charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire; and a man’s prayer in the middle of the night.” Then he recited: “Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them. No soul knoweth what is kept hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do”. [Qu'ran, Surah al-Sajdah (32): Ayah 16-17]

Then he said: “Shall I not also tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar, and its topmost part?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He said: “The peak of the matter is Islam (submission to Allah), the pillar is prayer; and its topmost part is jihad.” Then he said: “And shall I not tell you of the controlling of all that ?” I said:” Yes, O Messenger of Allah”. So he took hold of his tongue and said: “Restrain this.” I said: “O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?” He said: “May your mother be bereft of you! Is there anything that topples people on their faces (or he said, on their noses) into the Hell-fire other than the jests of their tongues?”
[Related by Al-Tirmidhi, who said it was a fine and sound hadith]

Relevant arabic words and meanings:
akh-bir-nee : “Inform me, tell me,” the nee represents the “me” part
yud-khilunee : “which enters me,”
yubaa-3aeedunee : “makes me far from, distances me”
sa-al-ta : “you asked”
ab-waa-bee : “gates, doors”
jun-na-thun : “a shield”
jawfee al-laylee : jawf implies the midst or depths of something, here it refers to the middle of the night or during the night; al-layl is the night.
tatajaa-faa : “raise”
3amu-deehee : “its pillars”
zir-wathee sanaa meehee : the zirwatee is the highest point or apex of something; sanaam is a camels hump; together they imply the highest point of some matter.
meelaakee : the me-laayki of something is the thing that controls or rules over something
natakal-lamu : “we speak”
thakeelat-ka um-muka : “may your mother be bereaved of you,” this is an expression from pre-Islamic Arabic. It is like a prayer for somebody’s death. But it is not meant as a prayer or supplication. Instead, it is meant as a form of surprise and to alert a person that he has been negligent about a very important matter.
wuju-heehim: “their faces”
7aSaa 2edu- “harvest, whats is reaped”
al-sanateehim – “their tongues”

This is sahih hadith. Its been recorded through numerous chains from Muaadh ibn Jabal.

General comments:
*Importance of question/request.
*Prophet stated basic acts that lead to paradise.
*Stated acts that open gates to goodness, also stated the head of matter, its pillar and its apex.
*At end stated what controls all of these matters.
*Nothing of great importance left out of this hadith.

1)”O Messenger of Allah, inform me of an act which will place me into Paradise and will keep me away from the fire.”

-Ibn Rajab mentions this is one of the many times this was asked of prophet.
-Companions knew of important aspects of life: how to be saved of hell fire and enter into paradise; hence they’d come and ask this of prophet.
-The companion, muadh came and asked prophet. This matter/question was making him ill, sick burning him inside. (narration of musnad ahmad).
-This hadith evidence that ones deeds take them to paradise. (al-Zukhruf, 72)
-However actions alone are not sufficient, mercy of Allaah is needed. Hadith of prophet, even him (saw) entering paradise by mercy of Allaah (Bukhari, Muslim). Ibn Rajab points out that one’s deeds are themselves by mercy of Allaah. So both paradise and actions that lead to paradise is from mercy and grace of Allaah. (Ibn Rajab, jaami, vol. 2, p136).

2)“You have asked me about a great matter,”

-There is no other greater matter for anyone. Allaah revealed books and messengers for the very question that Muadh asked of the Prophet pbuh.
-By the prophet pbuh’s response it can be noted that not only is it a great matter. But also it’s a difficult matter except for whom Allaah wills it easy.
-Al-Haitimi states how great and hard this matter is. It is great in consequences of hereafter and upon the soul in this life. Allah shows most mankind wont be victorious in this most important affair. (Saba, 13), (al-Araaf, 17).

3)“but it is easy for whomever Allaah, Exalted be He, makes it easy”

-guidance is in hands of Allaah. He opens hearts to faith and islam such that a person can love islam and obeying Allaah so that doing obligatory deeds become easy for them and staying away from forbidden becomes easy for them.
-(al-Lail, 5-10). Therefore, every believer must realize this and turn to Allaah swt for help and guidance. If a person beseeches Allaah and strives to follow the straight path, Allaah will make path easy for him. Allaah will guide as he said, ..(Al-ankaboot, 69).

4)“[You should] worship Allaah and not ascribe any partner to Him, establish the prayer, give the zakat, fast in Ramadhan and make the pilgrimage to the House.”

-Prophet pbuh mentions here the key to entering paradise, escaping hell-fire are the five pillars. If one performs them properly and well, one is bound to enter paradise.

5)“Then he said: “Shall I not guide you to the gates of goodness?”

-Al-Haitimi states this is to show the importance of what is going to be said after this, to attract the attention of listener. Prophet pbuh doesn’t stop at just answering what Muadh asked. There are great deal of good that one can receive inside of paradise, so he showed the gates or doors to good beyond what muadh asked.
-So emphasizing the pillars are the obligatory that leads to paradise, the prophet pbuh mentions the voluntary deeds that open door to greater rewards in Paradise. In hadith 38, stated Allaah loves servants who get closer to Him by doing voluntary good deeds.

6) Fasting is a shield

-The obligatory fasts of Ramadan are already mentioned previously with the 5 pillars. In this part, prophet pbuh emphasizes the voluntary fasts.
-Obligatory: (al-baqaara, 183), result of either type of fast should be taqwa.
Taqwa:
- comes from wiqaayah, implies protection.
- to protect oneself from hell-fire by putting a barrier between oneself and the Hell-fire.
Prophet pbuh called fasting a shield, used in battle to protect from enemies. Likewise, it protects one from the hell-fire.
-Ibn Rajab refers to the hadith of fasting implying that one does not ruin it by improper behaviour or speech. If they do so, it will not count as such. Quotes Bukhari hadith. “Fasting is shield. If …..should avoid sexual contact and quarreling. If somebody should fight with you respond… I am fasting”. Hence, if fasting cant protect from committing sins here, it wont protect from hell-fire in hereafter.
-Specific days its recommended to fast: Day of Ashoora (10th of Muharram), along with the 9th or 11th in addition, the Day of Arafah(the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah) for those who are not making the pilgrimage, Mondays and Thursdays of every week, any three days of every month, the three days of the full moon in the middle of every lunar Islamic month, any days of the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah and six days of the month of Shawwal.

7)“charity [which] extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire”

-The reference is to voluntary charity and not the zakat.
-Sins referred to here are the minor sins that are between the human and Allaah.
-The major sins are not included here nor are the acts of wrong towards others.
-The major sins are not extinguished by charity, and are in need of repentance.
-Wrong done towards others requires their forgiveness.
-Quran specifies charity to wipe away sins: (al-Baqaara, 271)
-In general good deeds wipe away bad deeds: (al-Hood, 114)
-Al-Haitimi mentions, charity is specified in this hadith because its benefits extends to others and all of the creatures of Allaah and dependents. If a person helps dependents, it removes the latter’s anger.
-Al-Teebi points three different removal of sins that are mentioned:
* Removal of sins, as in (al-Hood, 114).
* Wiping away of or erasing of sins, as in “follow up a bad deed with good…”(Hadith number18)
* Extinguishing the sin, as in this hadith. Just as fire requires to be extinguished, the persons sins will take them to the fire and will require to be extinguished. So, the charity one gives can extinguish their sins and take them away from hell-fire/extinguishes the fire for them.

8)“the prayer of a man in the middle of the night.” Then he recited: “Who forsake their beds to cry unto their Lord in fear and hope, and spend of that We have bestowed on them. No soul knoweth what is kept hid for them of joy, as a reward for what they used to do”. [Qu'ran, Surah al-Sajdah (32): Ayah 16-17]

-Ibn Rajab mentions, the prayer in the night, just as charity, also extinguishes the sins in the same manner.
-Jawf used with layl, night; means middle of the night. In some cases there is reference to jawf of the last of the night. It is then referring to the middle of the last half of the night or, when five-sixths of the night has passed.
-The Importance of the Late-Night Prayer
* (al-sajdah, 16-17): Difference of opinion on the meaning of this phrase, “their sides forsake their beds,” and what prayer it is referring to. However, this statement of Prophet (pbuh) seems to clear that the verse is in reference to the late-night prayer, although perhaps not exclusively.
* Ibn Qayyim states, people who pray late at night hide this act from others. So the reward is specifically for what they do in hidden fashion. None can know or imagine it now.(al-Affaani, vol. 1, p.58)
* Other ayats include (al-Dhaariyaat, 17-18), specifies the characteristics of pious people who will be entered in Paradise. (al-Israa, 79), specifies how praiseworthy the act of late-night prayer is. (al-Zumar, 9). (al-Furqaan, 63-64), (al-Muzzammil, 1-8)
* Qataada stated that late-night prayer was made obligatory for the Prophet(pbuh) and his followers in these verses. This was in the earlier revelations and companions performed that prayer for a year then the ayat that made them voluntary was revealed, the relaxation was because Allaah knew there will be weak people in the community as well and those who would go out seeking Allaah’s bounty by working or so forth. (al-Affaani, pp75-76)
* Hadith that mention importance of tahajjud: “The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is that during the depths of the night.”(Muslim). The prophet pubh said, “You should perform the late-night prayer for verily it was the custom of the pious people before you. Certainly, the late-night prayer is an act that takes one closer to Allaah, keeps one away from sins, expiates for evil deeds and repels disease from the body”(al-Tirmidhi. Hasan, according to al-Hilaali). Also, since it is a prayer it is in itself special, since prophet pbuh said, “the prayer is the best matter. Whoever can increase (his prayers)should do so.”(al-tabaraani in al-ausat; al-suyooti and albaani said its hasan). The other reason tahajjud is special is because its done further from ostentation and showoff. So its more pure, also less disturbances in the night so the person can concentrate more.
* It increases the sincerity of a person to Allaah. Follower of Qataada said, “They used to say that the hypocrite would not spend the night up [in prayer].”(al-affaani, vol 1, p19). The person is getting up in middle of night and forsaking his sleep because he realizes that his goal is not the pleasure or relaxation of this world. Instead he has much greater purpose and goal in life.

9) Then he said: “Shall I not also tell you of the peak of the matter, its pillar, and its topmost part?” I said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”

-Ibn Rajab states ‘matter’ refers to religion. Al-haitimi states, that ‘matter’ is that of relevance to the question here, i.e. of entering paradise and escaping the hell-fire.
-Prophet pbuh mentioned the minimum, then the acts beyond to the doors of good in paradise, followed by the summarization of whole matter with forthcoming instruction

10)He said: “The peak of the matter is Islam (submission to Allah),

-He pbuh, stated the head of the matter as Islaam. Al-Baitaar states its meaning as submission and obedience to Allaah.
-In other narrations, head of matter is testimony of faith.
-Ibn Rajab explains by saying that one who does not accept and apply the testimony of faith, both internally and externally, has no portion of Islam whatsoever.
-Without the head, of obeying and submitting to Allaah, there is not Islam just as without the head of human boy there is no body. This is the head of matter; everything else is secondary to this primary issue. If this issue is not fulfilled properly, the hope of attaining paradise can be forgotten.

11) the pillar is prayer;

-without a pillar the structure does not have support and can be destroyed.
-Foundation of religion, submission to Allaah and being entered in paradise rests in the prayers.
-This statement of prophet pbuh demonstrates the importance of prayer.

12)and its topmost part is jihad.”

-Al-Haitimi states jihad is the highest form of obedience because it is through it that islam becomes dominant over all other religions and ways of life. This is not true for other acts of worship.
-Al-Baitaar further points out it is through jihad that religion is protected and preserved as is also the honor of muslims protected. Although every act of worship is of great importance, the place of jihad is of special importance.
-Jihad considered most important after obligatory act.
-At times jihad is obligatory.
-Importance of jihad
* (al-Nisaa 95-96), (al-tauba 19-20), (al-saff, 4)
* [abu huraira related that] a man came to messenger and said “O Messenger of Allaah, show me a deed that is equal to jihad.” The prophet (pbuh) told him, “I do not find such a deed.” Then he told him, “Can you, while the muslim fighter is in the battlefield, enter your mosque to perform prayers without ceasing and fast while never breaking your fast?” The man said, “Who could do that?” The Prophet (pbuh) told him, “The one who makes jihad is rewarded even for the footsteps of his horse while it wanders about for grazing while tied on a long rope.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari).
* Abu Saeed al-Khudri narrated that a man came to the prophet and said, “O messenger of ALlaah, who is the best amongh the people?” The prophet said, “A believer who strives his utmost in Allaah’s cause with his life and property.” (Recorded Al-Bukhari)
-Negatives of abandoning jihad
* Source of destruction both in this life and hereafter. This life: if don’t make effort to propagate and defend what they believe in, they will be subjugated and despised by others and will not be able to live freely. Hereafter: (al-baqara, 195)
*(al-Tauba, 39), (al-araaf, 16-17), (al-baqara, 217)

13) Then he said: “And shall I not tell you of the controlling of all that ?” I said:” Yes, O Messenger of Allah”. So he took hold of his tongue and said: “Restrain this.” I said: “O Prophet of Allah, will we be held accountable for what we say?” He said: “May your mother be bereft of you! Is there anything that topples people on their faces (or he said, on their noses) into the Hell-fire other than the jests of their tongues?”

-Foundation of good is to be able to control the tongue.
-Prophet pbuh tells Muadh that it is because of the deeds of one’s tongue that one is thrown into the Hell-fire.
-Some can wonder can the deeds of tongue be that great and harmfull? Ibn Rajab explains how.
* Sins of speech include shirk, greatest sin in Allaah’s sight.
* Speaking about Allah without knowledge, companion of shirk.
* Giving false witness, which can be equivalent to shirk.
* Sorcery, calumny and other major/minor sins such as lying, backbiting, tale-spreading.
-On the authority of Abu Huraira who said: The prophet (pbuh) was asked about what most enters a people into Paradise and he said, “ Taqwa of Allaah and good character.” Then he was asked about what most enters a people into Hell and he said, “The mouth and the private part.” (Recorded by al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad, ibn Maajah, al-Haakim and ibn Hibbaan. According to al-Hilaali it is hasan.)
-Early scholars:
* Yahya ibn katheer: “A person’s speech is not made sound except that it is reflected in the rest of his deeds. And a person’s speech is not made wicked except that it is reflected in the rest of his deeds.” (Quated in ibn rajab, Jaami, vol.2, p149).
* Yoonus ibn Ubaid: “One will not find any act of piety that is followed by all other acts except in the tongue. You can find a man who fasts during the day and breaks his fast on forbidden things [ because of his speech]. He spends the night in prayer and during the day he gives false witness…” [ He mentioned a number of aspects and then said, ] “However, you will not find a person who only speaks the truth whose actions ever contradict that.” (Quated in ibn rajab, Jaami, vol.2, p149).
* Ibn Taimiya noted how difficult it is to control tongue for people even if they control other actions: “It is amazing how it is easy for a human to control and protect himself from eating forbidden items, wronging others, fornication, stealing, drinking alcohol, looking at what is forbidden while it is difficult for him to control the movement of his tongue. You can even find a man who is considered religious, pious and a worshipper while he speaks words that anger Allaah and he does not even considered them important; he is lowered by one speech a distance even greater than what is between the east and the west. How many times do you see a person who refrains from the lewd acts and wrongdoing while his tongue flows in false speech concerning the honor of those both alive and dead, and he does not even care about what he is saying. (quoted in abdul maalik al-qaasim, Ahsaahu-llaah wa nasooh (Riyadh: Daar al-Qaasim, 1995), pp.6-7.
* Abdul Maalik al-Qaasim ntoes how in this day and age, one truly has to be carefull of this matter.
1.The level of piety or religious awareness seems to be less than that in past.
2.Muslims have more free time now adays because of modern conveineinces and ease of life.
This free time is dangerous if used to just sit in gatherings and talk for hours at a time. People may speak in good manner at first, but after a while tend to stray into matters that should be avoided.
* Al-Zuhri noticed this aspect and said, “If the gathering becomes long, then Satan has a portion of it.”(Quoted in Abdul Maalik al-Qaasim, Ahsaahu, p.20.)
* Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid points out that this last part of the hadith alludes to another important form of jihad: jihad against the self. This is the jihad in struggling by which a person controls his actions and desires. Its this type of jihad needed to control ones’ speech. Without it, results are disastrous…one can be thrown into the fire of Hell. (Qaaf 16-18)
* Umar ibn abdul azeez: “the one who realizes that his speech is part of his deeds will restrict his words to only what is of concern to him and is of benefit to him.”(Quoted in A. al-Qaasim, Ahsaahu, p.13)

Points Related to this Hadith:

- The teacher should get the attention of the listeners. As Prophet pbuh did this more than once by saying, “Shall I not tell you…”, “Shall I not inform you….”.
- Should teach in progressive manner. Start with basics and then move into more intricate matters after them.

Summary
-Companions were anxious to know key to make it to their goal: jannah and protection from hell fire
-It is a great matter, if Allaah makes it easy for someone, it becomes easy for them to attain. //make dua
-Key to entering paradise is fulfillment of the five pillars of islam
-Beyond paradise are great rewards. Their key is by voluntary fasts, which are shield, charity and prayers during late night, which extinguish sins.
-Main aspect to enter paradise and escape hell-fire is submission to Allah. The pillar or the foundation to that submission is prayer. Its apex or loftiest aspect is jihad in the way of Allaah.
-Controlling tongue is what can control ones acts to lead a person into paradise and save him from the hell fire
-Greatest reason for people being thrown into hell is the result of their usage of tongues.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Thalabah Al-Khushani Jurthoom bin Naashir, radiyallahu ‘anhu, that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, said: “Verily, Allah, the Exalted, has prescribed the obligatory deeds, so do not neglect them; He has set the limits, so do not go beyond them; He has forbidden certain things, so do not indulge in them; and He has said nothing about certain things, as an act of mercy to you, not out of forgetfulness, so do not go enquiring into these.” [Related by Al-Daraqutni and others - Al-Nawawi said this is a hasan (fine) hadith]

Key arabic words and their meanings:

farada : “he has made obligatory”
faraa-e-da : “obligatory deeds”
tuday-ye3u-naa : “neglect them” the haa at the end is the female pronoun for the plural of things. The Literal meaning of the word is close to, “lose, waste”. So the meaning is actually, “Do not abandon those acts or be lazy concerning them such that their time passes and they are lost.”
7ad-da : “he set”
7udu-dan : ”limits, boundaries”
ta3-tadu-haa : “transgress them, overstep them, go beyond them,” again the haa at the end is the female pronoun in reference to the plural of things.
ash-yaa-a : “things,” plural of shai (sha , yaa , small a)
sakata : ”he was silent”
ra7-math : “mercy”
nis-yaneen : “forgetfulness”
tab-7athu : “you seek, search”

This is classified as a weak hadith by al-Albaani, al-Hilaali, and ibn Muhammad.

“…and He has been silent about certain things, as an act of mercy to you, not out of forgetfulness, so do not seek after them”

Different interpretations for this part of the hadith.

Summed by Al-Baitaar:
1) Prohibition was particular for time of prophet(pbuh). As discussed in hadith9…general prohibition to ask Pprophet from that which wasn’t revealed in quran.
2) Prohibition for all times but its particular with respect to kinds of research and questioning prohibited. It is only with respect to difficult, detailed, impractical or irrelevant questions. These are matters that shouldn’t be asked about. They do not affect a persons actions and may lead to confusion more than anything else.
3) Prohibition with repect to the general masses only and not with respect to the scholars. The layman may get into heated debates and discussion without any fruitfull results. So they shouldn’t discuss it as its not discussed in quran and sunnah. It’s the scholars job to do discuss, research and give appropriate conclusions and rulings..

Note: this hadith is used by Dhahiris (Literalists) to support their contention that analogy is not valid and one must follow the apparent meaning of texts only. However, this is a weak hadith and can’t be used to support their contention. In addition, many other evidences support use of analogy and so, even if this hadith is authentic, one has to interpret it such that it does not forbid analogy.

On the authority of Abu al-’Abbas Sahl bin Sa’d al-Sa’idi, radiyallahu ‘anhu, who said:

A man came to the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, and said: “O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an act which if I do it, [will cause] Allah to love me and people to love me.” He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, answered: “Be indifferent to the world and Allah will love you; be indifferent to what people possess and they will love you.” [A fine hadith related by Ibn Majah and others with good chains of authorities]

The first aspect mentioned is where a person realizes that all provisions and sustenance come from Allaah(swt) and not simply by his own acts. The second aspect is where, if a person loses anything of this world, this does not bother him because he is looking toward the Hereafter and not this world.

Many people have the misunderstanding of zuhd, and borrow it from other cultures. They disregard this world, forbid the permissible, voluntarily choose a life of poverty and refuse to work or follow the means to sustenance that Allah(swt) has laid down for this world. This is not the Islamic zuhd and is an innovation in Islam going against the Quran and sunnah.

Key arabic words mentioned in hadith and their meanings:
jaa-a : “he came”, masculine form
dul-lanee : “guide me, direct me”, the nee at the end indicates “me”
a7ab-banee : “loves me”, again the nee indicates “me”
iz-had : “be aloof”, this is sometimes translated as “renounce” but that is not quite correct.

This hadith is a weak hadith, therefore it is not discussed in details. However, it mentions zuhd and the correct understanding of zuhd (“Islamic asceticism”) is discussed further.

The correct zuhd in Islam is not an act of renouncing or giving up the world. It is an act of being aloof from the world, in the sense that ones’ heart is not attached to the things of this world but to the aspects of the Hereafter and one is indifferent about losing the bounties of this world. Zuhd is an action of the heart and not an outward action.

Abu Idrees al-Khaulaani said, “Zuhd in this world does not mean forbidding what is permissible or wasting wealth. Zuhd with respect to this world is only where a person puts more trust in what is with Allah than what is in his own hand. If he is afflicted with a calamity, he is more hopeful for its reward and what is stored for him in the Hereafter than if it were to have remained with him.”[1].

Sulaiman al-Daaraani said, “Do not testify that anyone has zuhd for zuhd is in the heart(and cannot be witnessed by others).”[2]

Wahb ibn al-Warad said, “Zuhd in this world is where one does not despair because of what he is given of this world.”

Sufyaan ibn Uyainah said, “Zuhd with respect to this world is where one, if he is blessed with something, gives thanks and, if he is tried, is patient.”[2]

References

[1] Zarabozo, Jamaal al-Din M., “Commentary on the Forty Hadith of Al-Nawawi, Volume 2.” Al-Basheer, 1999.

[2] Quoted in al-Bugha and Mistu, p217-219.