On the authority of Hakīm ibn Hizām who said: I begged the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and he gave me, then I begged him (again) and he gave me, then I begged him (again) and he gave me. Then he said: Indeed, this wealth is green and hulwah (sweet, pleasant). So, he who takes it with tīb nafs will be blessed in it and he who takes it with ishrāf nafs, he will not be blessed in it, and he will be like the one who eats but is not satisfied. And the upper hand is better than the lower hand. [Sahīh Muslim Hadith No. 1035] Commentary In this tradition the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has likened the desire in wealth and the inclination of the Nafs (soul) towards it to green delicious fruits. The reason being is that anything which is green appears tempting simply because of its being green, and anything which is sweet appears tempting simply because it is sweet. And when both characteristics are combined within something the temptation and desire for that thing is exemplified. In addition, there is also an indication in this tradition to the transitory nature of wealth because anything which is green does not last forever and nor is it meant to last forever. Since wealth has been called green it indicates that it is transitory in nature and will perish. ishrāf Nafs in this tradition means to beg (for money). tīb Nafs means to receive money without having begged for it. Based on this, the tradition means that if a person receives money without having begged for it, the money will be blessed. This is contrary to the person who begs and strives to get money from people. He will not be blessed in that which is given to him. The likeness of the one who begs people for money is like that of he who eats but the food fails to satisfy his appetite. In this tradition there is a strong recommendation to remain abstinent and content with that which one has even if it may be little. One should show self restraint and should not beg people even if the amount of money he has with him is very little. There is also a recommendation in this tradition to seek livelihood in a manner which is in accordance with the rules and commandments of Islam and not to use means which are impermissible because any money acquired by those means will not be blessed. A person should not be deluded by the abundance of wealth he can amass by begging people or by using impermissible means to acquire wealth because it will not be blessed. Finally, the upper hand referred to in this tradition is the hand which gives money, and the hand which is referred to as the lower one is the one which takes money. The hand which gives money is better than the hand which takes money. Reference(s): -------------------------- Sharh Al-Nawawi of Sahīh Muslim -Commentary by the classical scholar Imām Al-Nawawi on the Hadīth of Sahīh Muslim Online version of the book: library.islamweb.net/newlibrary/display_book.php?bk_no=53&ID=445&idfrom=2901&idto=2908&bookid=53&startno=2 --------------------------
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 03:09:14 +0000