36/19. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 2327 — Enough Wealth for a Simple Life
What Has Been Related About What Suffices A Man From All His Wealth
Hadith About Simple Living and Gathering Wealth
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 2327
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 2327
حَدَّثَنَا مَحْمُودُ بْنُ غَيْلاَنَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ، وَالأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ، قَالَ جَاءَ مُعَاوِيَةُ إِلَى أَبِي هَاشِمِ بْنِ عُتْبَةَ وَهُوَ مَرِيضٌ يَعُودُهُ فَقَالَ يَا خَالُ مَا يُبْكِيكَ أَوَجَعٌ يُشْئِزُكَ أَمْ حِرْصٌ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا قَالَ كُلٌّ لاَ وَلَكِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَهِدَ إِلَىَّ عَهْدًا لَمْ آخُذْ بِهِ قَالَ " إِنَّمَا يَكْفِيكَ مِنْ جَمْعِ الْمَالِ خَادِمٌ وَمَرْكَبٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ " . وَأَجِدُنِي الْيَوْمَ قَدْ جَمَعْتُ . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى وَقَدْ رَوَى زَائِدَةُ وَعَبِيدَةُ بْنُ حُمَيْدٍ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ أَبِي وَائِلٍ عَنْ سَمُرَةَ بْنِ سَهْمٍ قَالَ دَخَلَ مُعَاوِيَةُ عَلَى أَبِي هَاشِمٍ فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ . وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ الأَسْلَمِيِّ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
Abu Wail Narrated from:
Mu'Awiyah Came To Abu Hashim Bin 'Uthbah To Visit Him When He Was Ill (And Dying). He Said: 'O Uncle! Why Do You Cry? Is It From The Pangs Of Death Or Desire For This World?' He Said: 'Neither Of These. But The Messenger Of Allah (S.A.W) Had Commissioned Me With An Obligation That I Did Not Abide By. He (S.A.W) Said: It Suffices You To Gather The Wealth Of A Servant Or A Rider In The Cause Of Allah." And (It Is Only) Today I Find That I Have Gathered It.'"
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2327In-book reference : Book 36, Hadith 24English translation : Vol. 4, Book 10, Hadith 2327
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 2327
This hadith about simple living comes through the story of Abu Hashim bin Utbah. Muawiyah visited him while he was ill and asked why he was crying. Abu Hashim said it was not because of death pains or desire for the world. He remembered a direction from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w): it was enough to gather the wealth of a servant or a rider in the cause of Allah. Then he felt that he had gathered more. The hadith is a serious reminder about wealth and the heart. It does not say every person must live the same way. It shows a man holding himself to a high standard because of what he had heard from the Prophet (s.a.w).
What we learn from this hadith
- A believer should examine how much worldly wealth he is gathering.
- Simple living can help protect the heart from strong attachment to dunya.
- Remembering prophetic advice can make a person review his own choices.
