37/11. Chapter:
Sunan Ibn Majah 4153 — Choosing the Hereafter Over the World
The beds of the family of Muhammad (saws)
Choosing the Hereafter: The Prophet’s Reed Mat and Simple Room
Sunan Ibn Majah : 4153
Sunan Ibn MajahHadith Number 4153
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَشَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ يُونُسَ، حَدَّثَنَا عِكْرِمَةُ بْنُ عَمَّارٍ، حَدَّثَنِي سِمَاكٌ الْحَنَفِيُّ أَبُو زُمَيْلٍ، حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْعَبَّاسِ، حَدَّثَنِي عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَهُوَ عَلَى حَصِيرٍ قَالَ فَجَلَسْتُ فَإِذَا عَلَيْهِ إِزَارٌ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ غَيْرُهُ وَإِذَا الْحَصِيرُ قَدْ أَثَّرَ فِي جَنْبِهِ وَإِذَا أَنَا بِقَبْضَةٍ مِنْ شَعِيرٍ نَحْوَ الصَّاعِ وَقَرَظٍ فِي نَاحِيةٍ فِي الْغُرْفَةِ وَإِذَا إِهَابٌ مُعَلَّقٌ فَابْتَدَرَتْ عَيْنَاىَ فَقَالَ " مَا يُبْكِيكَ يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ " . فَقُلْتُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ وَمَا لِيَ لاَ أَبْكِي وَهَذَا الْحَصِيرُ قَدْ أَثَّرَ فِي جَنْبِكَ وَهَذِهِ خِزَانَتُكَ لاَ أَرَى فِيهَا إِلاَّ مَا أَرَى وَذَلِكَ كِسْرَى وَقَيْصَرُ فِي الثِّمَارِ وَالأَنْهَارِ وَأَنْتَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ وَصَفْوَتُهُ وَهَذِهِ خِزَانَتُكَ . قَالَ " يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ أَلاَ تَرْضَى أَنْ تَكُونَ لَنَا الآخِرَةُ وَلَهُمُ الدُّنْيَا " . قُلْتُ بَلَى .
'Umar bin Al-Khattab Narrated from:
I entered upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when he was (sitting) on a reed mat. I sat down and (saw that) he was wearing a waist wrap, and there was no other barrier between him and the mat but his waist wrap, and the reed mat had made marks on his side. And I saw a handful of barley, nearly a Sa’, and some acacia leaves, in a corner of the room, and a skin hanging up.My eyes flowed with tears, and he said: ‘Why are you weeping, O son of Khattab?’ I said: ‘O Prophet of Allah, why should I not weep? This mat has made marks on your side, and this is all you have accumulated, I cannot see anything other than what I see (here), while Chosroes and Caesar live among fruits and rivers. You are the Prophet of Allah and His Chosen One, and this is what you have accumulated.’ He said: ‘O son of Khattab, does it not please you (to know) that (these things) are for us in the Hereafter and for them in this world?’ He said: ‘Yes.’”
Reference : Sunan Ibn Majah 4153In-book reference : Book 37, Hadith 54English translation : Vol. 5, Book 37, Hadith 4153
Summary of Sunan Ibn Majah Hadith 4153
This hadith about the Hereafter gives a deep picture of the Prophet’s simple life. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) entered and saw the Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) on a reed mat. The mat had left marks on his side. Umar also saw only a small amount of barley, acacia leaves, and a hanging skin. He cried because leaders like Chosroes and Caesar had fruits and rivers, while the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had so little. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) answered by pointing to the Hereafter. The hadith teaches that the world is not the final measure of success. It also shows that the Prophet’s simple life was tied to a greater hope beyond this world.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) lived with very simple belongings.
- Umar was moved by the marks of the mat and the small storage.
- Worldly comfort is not the final measure of honor.
- The hadith directs the heart toward the Hereafter.
