Hadith #301

Arabic Text

English Translation

ʿAbdullāh ibn Muḥammad ibn Numayr narrated to us, ʿUbādah ibn Muslim narrated to us, Yūnus ibn Khabbāb narrated to me, from Saʿīd Abū al-Bukhtarī al-Ṭāʾī, from Abū Kabshah al-Anmārī, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allāh ﷺ saying: 'There are three things I swear by, and I will tell you a hadith, so memorize it.' As for the three I swear by: charity does not diminish a servant's wealth; no servant is wronged and bears it patiently except that Allāh عز وجل increases him in honor thereby; and no servant opens a door of begging except that Allāh opens for him a door of poverty. As for the hadith I tell you to memorize: he said: 'The worldly life is only for four types of people. A servant whom Allāh عز وجل provided with wealth and knowledge, so he fears his Lord through it, maintains ties of kinship through it, and acknowledges Allāh's عز وجل right in it. This one is at the best of stations. And a servant whom Allāh عز وجل provided with knowledge but not wealth, who says: "If I had wealth, I would act as so-and-so acts." Their reward is equal. And a servant whom Allāh provided with wealth but not knowledge, so he spends his wealth recklessly without knowledge, not fearing his Lord عز وجل through it, not maintaining ties of kinship through it, and not acknowledging Allāh's right in it. This one is at the worst of stations. And a servant whom Allāh provided with neither wealth nor knowledge, who says: "If I had wealth, I would act as so-and-so acts." It is his intention, so their sin in it is equal.'