44/3. Chapter:
Sunan an-Nasai 4456 — Wealth, Trade, and the Loss of Knowledge
Trade
Signs of the Hour: Wealth Grows While Knowledge Disappears
Sunan an-Nasai : 4456
Sunan an-NasaiHadith Number 4456
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا وَهْبُ بْنُ جَرِيرٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ تَغْلِبَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِنَّ مِنْ أَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ أَنْ يَفْشُوَ الْمَالُ وَيَكْثُرَ وَتَفْشُوَ التِّجَارَةُ وَيَظْهَرَ الْعِلْمُ وَيَبِيعَ الرَّجُلُ الْبَيْعَ فَيَقُولَ لاَ حَتَّى أَسْتَأْمِرَ تَاجِرَ بَنِي فُلاَنٍ وَيُلْتَمَسَ فِي الْحَىِّ الْعَظِيمِ الْكَاتِبُ فَلاَ يُوجَدُ " .
`Amr bin Taghlib Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah said: 'One of the portents of the Hour will be that wealth becomes widespread and abundant, and trade will become widespread, but knowledge will disappear. A man will try to sell something and will say: "No, not until I consult the merchant of banu so and so: and People will look throughout a vast area for a scribe and will not find one." (Sahih)
[1] Literally, the text says: "Knowledge will be manifest." Most manuscripts have Al-'Ilm (knowledge) here. Some have Al-Jahl (ignorance); and in Al-Kubra it is Al-Qalm (the pen). In accord with other narrations, scholars explained that it means much will be written down, but of little benefit. See As-Sahîhah , No. 2767.Reference : Sunan an-Nasa'i 4456In-book reference : Book 44, Hadith 8English translation : Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 4461
Summary of Sunan an-Nasai Hadith 4456
This hadith describes several signs of the Hour. Wealth will become widespread and abundant. Trade will also spread. At the same time, knowledge will disappear. The narration gives practical pictures of that loss: a seller will delay a transaction until consulting a merchant from a certain family, and people will search across a large area for a scribe but fail to find one. The text places material growth beside a shortage of useful knowledge and skilled people. It does not say that wealth or trade alone is evil. The warning comes from the contrast between abundance in business and decline in knowledge. A balanced reading of this sign of Qiyamah hadith is to value learning and useful skills, not to assume that economic growth automatically means society is healthy.
What we learn from this hadith
- Abundant wealth is mentioned as one sign of the Hour.
- Trade may spread while knowledge becomes scarce.
- Useful expertise and writing skills may become hard to find.
- Material growth should not make people neglect knowledge.
