XXIV. Extravagance in Building

XXIV. Extravagance in Building 207. Extravagance in Property 442. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is pleased with you about three things and He is angry with you about three things. He is pleased that you worship Him, not associating anything with Him, that you all take hold of the rope of Allah and that you give good counsel to those that Allah has put in authority over you.

He dislikes you engaging in chitchat, asking a lot of questions and squandering wealth." 443. In commenting on the words of Allah Almighty, "Anything you spend will be replaced by Him. and He is the best of Providers," (34:39) Ibn 'Abbas said, "without extravagance or parsimony." 208. Those who squander 444. Abu'l-'Ubaydayn said, "I asked 'Abdullah about those who squander and he said, 'They are those who spend incorrectly.'" 445. Ibn 'Abbas said that he said that "the squanderers" were those who wasted money incorrectly. 209.

Improving Houses 446. Zayd ibn Aslam reported from his father that 'Umar used to say on the minbar, "O people! Improve your homes but be careful about these house snakes [which are a form of jinn] before they make you afraid. Those among them which are Muslim will not be clear to you and, by Allah, we have not made peace with them since the time when we treated them as an enemy." 210. Building expenses 447.

Khabbab said, "A man is rewarded for everything except building." 211. A man working with his workers 448. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr was heard to say to a nephew of his who had left al-Waht, "Are your workers at work?" "I don't know," he replied. He said, "If you were clever, you would work as your workers work." Then he turned towards us and said, "When a man works with his workers in his house (and Abu 'Asim once said, 'in his property'), he is one of the workers of Allah Almighty." 212. Making buildings tall 449.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Final Hour will not come until people compete with one another in the height of their buildings." 450. Al-Hasan said, "I used to go into the houses of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during the khalifate of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, and I could touch their ceilings with my own hand." 451. Da'ud ibn Qays said, "I saw that the rooms were made from the stumps of palm trees covered on the outside with smoothed hair. I think that the width of the house from the door of the room to the door of the house was about six or seven spans. The width of the room inside was ten spans.

I think that the ceiling was between seven and right, or there about. I stopped at the door of 'A'isha, which was facing the west." 452. 'Abdullah ar-Rumi said, "I visited Umm Talq and exclaimed, 'How low the ceiling of your room is!' 'My son,' she replied, 'the Amir al-Mu'minin, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to his workers telling them: "Do not make your buildings tall. That will come about in the worst of your days."'" 213. The person who builds 453.

It is reported that Habba ibn Khalid and Sawa' ibn Khalid came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was repairing a wall or a building of his, and they helped him. 454. Qays ibn Abi Hazm said, "We went to visit Khubbab after he had been cauterised seven times. He said, 'Our Companions who came before us have gone and this world did not cause the, loss. We have been struck by an affliction for which we find no place to put it down except the earth. If it were no that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade us to pray for death, we would pray for it.'" 455.

He continued, "Then we came to him another time while he was building a wall and his and he said, 'The Muslim is rewarded for everything on which he spends money except for what he spends on dust.' 456. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went by while I was repairing a hut I owned. He said, 'What is this?' I replied, 'I am mending my hut, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' He said, 'The business is too swift for that.'" 214. A spacious dwelling 457. Nafi' ibn al-Harith reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Part of a man's happiness is a spacious dwelling, a good neighbour, and a good mount." 215.

A person who has upper rooms 458. Thabit reported that he was with Anas in a corner above one of his rooms. He said, "We heard the adhan and he came down and I came down as well. He took short stops and said, 'I was with Zayd ibn Thabit and I walked with him in this fashion. He said, "Do you know why I did it to you?

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, walked in this manner and he said, 'Do you know why I walked with you?' I replied, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'So that there would be a greater number of steps in search of the prayer.'"'" 216. Painting buildings 459. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Final Hour will not come until people build houses which are like coloured garments." 460. Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, said, "Mu'awiya wrote to al-Mughira, saying, 'Write down for me what you heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say.' So he wrote to him, 'The Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say at the end of every prayer, "There is no god but Allah alone with no partner. His is the Kingdom and His is the praise and He has power over everything.

O Allah, none can withhold what You give nor can anyone give what You withhold. Nor will the wealth of someone with wealth help him against You.' He also write to him, 'He forbade gossip, asking too many questions, and wasting money. He forbade disobeying mothers, burying daughters alive, and he forbade asking people (without real need).'" 461. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "None of you will be saved by his actions?" "Not even you, Messenger of Allah?" they asked. "Not even me," he replied, "unless Allah covers me with mercy from Him.

But act correctly and wisely and worship in the morning and evening and during part of the night. Keep to a middle path and you will arrive." 217. Compassion 462. 'A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A group of Jews came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, "Poison ('sam' instead of 'salam') be upon you." 'A'isha said, "I understood it and said, 'And poison be upon you and the curse of Allah!' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, 'Easy, 'A'isha! Allah loves compassion in everything.' I said, 'Didn't you hear what they said?' The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied, 'I already said, "and upon you".'" 463.

Jarir ibn 'Abdullah reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever is denied compassion is denied good." 464. Abu'd-Darda' reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever has been given his portion of compassion has been given his portion of good. Whoever is denied given his portion of compassion has been denied his portion of good. Good character will be the weightiest thing in the believer's balance on the Day of Rising. Allah hates a coarse, foul-mouthed person." 465.

'A'isha reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Forgive rightacting people their slips." 466. Anas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If there is roughness in anything it is bound to disgrace it. Allah is compassionate and loves compassion." 467. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was more modest than a virgin in her tent. When he disliked something, we recognised that in his face." 468.

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Right guidance, good behaviour and aiming for what is just and correct is a seventieth part of prophethood." 469. 'A'isha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "I was on a camel which was somewhat intractable and the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, remarked, 'You must be compassionate. Whenever there is compassion in something, it adorns it, and when it is removed from something it disgraces it." 470. Sa'id al-Maqburi reported from his father that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Beware of avarice. It destroyed those before you.

They shed one another's blood and broke off relations with their relatives. Injustice will appear as darkness on the Day of Rising." 218. Compassion in livelihood 471. Kathir ibn 'Ubayd said, "I visited 'A'isha, the Umm al-Mu'minin, may Allah be pleased with her. She said, 'Wait until I sew up my garment.' So I waited and said, 'Umm al-Mu'minin, when I go out, I will tell them that your enemy is miserliness.' She said, 'Look to your own business.

There are no new clothes for anyone who does not wear shabby clothes.'" 219. What a slave is given for compassion 472. 'Abdullah ibn Mughaffal reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is compassionate and loves compassion. He gives for compassion what He goes not give for harshness." 220. Calming 473.

Anas ibn Malik reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Make things easy and do not make things difficult. Calm people and do not arouse their aversion." 474. 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "A guest stayed among the tribe of Israel and there was a dog in the house. They said, 'Dog, do not bark at our guest. The puppies were suckling from it.

They mentioned it to one of their Prophets who said, 'This is like a community which will come after you and whose fools will overcome its men of knowledge." 221. Harshness 475. 'A'isha said, "I was on a camel that was somewhat intractable and I began to beat it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'You must be compassionate. Whenever there is compassion in something, it adorns it, and whenever it is removed from something it disgraces it."