65/22.2. Chapter:
Sahih Bukhari 4742 — Faith Beyond Worldly Gain
"And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e., in doubt)..." (V.22:11)
أَتْرَفْنَاهُمْ} وَسَّعْنَاهُمْ.
Hadith About Worshipping Allah on the Edge and Weak Faith
Sahih Bukhari : 4742
Sahih BukhariHadith Number 4742
حَدَّثَنِي إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي بُكَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا إِسْرَائِيلُ، عَنْ أَبِي حَصِينٍ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ قَالَ {وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَعْبُدُ اللَّهَ عَلَى حَرْفٍ} قَالَ كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يَقْدَمُ الْمَدِينَةَ، فَإِنْ وَلَدَتِ امْرَأَتُهُ غُلاَمًا، وَنُتِجَتْ خَيْلُهُ قَالَ هَذَا دِينٌ صَالِحٌ. وَإِنْ لَمْ تَلِدِ امْرَأَتُهُ وَلَمْ تُنْتَجْ خَيْلُهُ قَالَ هَذَا دِينُ سُوءٍ.
Ibn 'Abbas Narrated from:
Regarding the Verse: "And among men is he who worships Allah's as it were on the very edge." (22.11).A man used to come to Medina as if his wife brought a son and his mares produces offspring. He would say, "This religion (Islam) is good," but if his wife did not give birth to a child and his mares produced no offspring, he would say, "This religion is bad."
Reference : Sahih al-Bukhari 4742In-book reference : Book 65, Hadith 264USC-MSA web (English) reference : Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 266
Summary of Sahih Bukhari Hadith 4742
This narration explains the verse about a person who worships Allah as if standing on the edge. Ibn Abbas described a man who came to Medina and judged the religion by his worldly results. If his wife gave birth to a son and his mares produced offspring, he would say that Islam was good. But if those things did not happen, he would say that the religion was bad. This hadith about weak faith shows a person treating faith like a trade based only on personal gain. The message is simple: faith in Allah should not rise or fall only because life feels easy or hard. The narration warns against linking truth to comfort, wealth, children, or worldly success.
What we learn from this hadith
- A person should not judge faith only by worldly gain or loss.
- True worship should not depend on comfort, children, or wealth.
- The narration warns against unstable faith that changes with circumstances.
- Islam is not measured by whether a person receives the worldly outcome he wants.
