Riyad as-Salihin

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Ubayy bin Ka'b (May Allah be pleased with him), "Allah (SWT) has ordered me to recite to you Surat-Al-Baiyyinah (98): 'Those who disbelieve ..."Ubayy (May Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Did He name me?" Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied in the affirmative. Whereupon Ubayy (May Allah be pleased with him) began to weep..

After the death of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu Bakr said to 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them): "Let us visit Umm Aiman (May Allah be pleased with him) as Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to visit her." As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) said to her, "What makes you weep? Do you not know that what Allah has in store for His Messenger (ﷺ) is better than (this worldly life)?" She said, "I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) (in the Hereafter) is better than this world, but I weep because the Revelation has ceased to come." This reply moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her..

When the illness of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became serious, he was asked about the leading of Salat and he said, "Ask Abu Bakr to lead Salat." Whereupon, 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said; "Abu Bakr is very tender hearted. He is bound to be overcome by weeping when he recites the Qur'an." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) repeated, "Ask him (Abu Bakr) to lead Salat".In another narration: 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: "When Abu Bakr stands in your place, he will not be able to recite the Noble Qur'an to the people on account of weeping.".

Food was brought to 'Abdur-Rahman bin 'Auf (May Allah be pleased with him) when he was observing Saum (fast) and he said: "Mus'ab bin 'Umair (May Allah be pleased with him) was martyred and he was better than me, but only one sheet was available to shroud him. It was so small that when his head was covered; his feet remained uncovered and if his feet were covered, his head remained uncovered. Then the bounties of this world have been bestowed upon us generously. I am afraid that the reward of our good deeds have been awarded to us in this world." On this he began to sob and left the food untouched..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Nothing is dearer to Allah than two drops and two marks: A drop of tears shed out of fear of Allah and a drop of blood shed in Allah's way. Regarding the two marks, they are: Marks left in the Cause of Allah and a mark left in observing one of the obligatory act of worship of Allah, the Exalted".. Al-'Irbad bin Sariyah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: One day Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delivered us a very eloquent Khutbah on account of which eyes shed tears and hearts became softened..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent Abu 'Ubaidah bin Al-Jarrah (May Allah be pleased with him) to Bahrain to collect (Jizyah). So he returned from Bahrain with wealth. The Ansar got news of it and joined with the Prophet (ﷺ) in the Fajr prayer. When the Prophet (ﷺ) concluded the prayer, they stood in his way. When he saw them, he smiled and said, "I think you have heard about the arrival of Abu 'Ubaidah with something from Bahrain". They said, "Yes! O Messenger of Allah!". He (ﷺ) said, "Rejoice and hope for that which will please you. By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you, but I fear that this world will be opened up with its wealth for you as it was opened to those before you; and you vie with one another over it as they did and eventually it will ruin you as it ruined them"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sat on the pulpit and we sat around him. He said: "What I am concerned most is the flourishment and the beauty of this world will be available to you"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The world is sweet and green (alluring); and verily, Allah is making you to succeed each other, generations after generations in it in order to see how you act. So beware of this world and beware of women"..

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "O Allah, there is no true life but the life of the Hereafter"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Three (things) follow a dead person: Members of his family, his property and his deeds. Two of them return; and one remains with him. The people and his wealth return; his deeds remain with him"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Among the inmates of Hell, a person who had led the most luxurious life in this world will be brought up on the Day of Resurrection and dipped in the Fire and will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any comfort? Did you happen to get any luxury?' He will reply: 'By Allah, no, my Rubb.' And then one of the people of Jannah who had experienced extreme misery in the life of this world will be dipped in Jannah. Then he will be asked: 'O son of Adam! Did you ever experience any misery? Did you ever encounter difficulty?' He will say: "By Allah, no my Rubb, I neither experienced misery nor passed through hardship"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "This world (i.e., its pleasures and duration) in comparison with the Hereafter is (similar to the amount of water) one gets when he puts his finger in the sea. Let him then see what it returns with"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was passing through the bazaar with his Companions on his both sides, when he saw a dead skinny lamb. He held its ear and said, "Who of you would like to have it for a dirham". They replied, "We do not like to get it for nothing, and what shall we do with it?". Then he (ﷺ) asked, "Would you like to have it for nothing?". They replied, "Had it been alive, it would have been defective because it is skinny; but when dead it is of no use". Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Truly, the world is more contemptible to Allah than this (the dead lamb) is to you"..

I was walking with the Prophet on the stony ground in Al-Madinah in the afternoon when Uhud Mount came into sight. Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "O Abu Dharr!" I said, "O Messenger of Allah, here I am responding to you". He said, "If I had as much gold as the weight of Uhud, it would not please me to have a single dinar out of it with me after the passage of three days, but I would hold back something for the repayment of a debt. I would distribute it among the slaves of Allah like this and like this and like this." And he (ﷺ) pointed in front of him, and on his right side and on his left side. We then walked a little further and he (ﷺ) said: "The rich would be poor on the Day of Resurrection, except he who spent like this and like this and like this,". and he pointed as he did the first time. "But such persons are few". Then he said, "Stay where you are till I come back to you". He (the Prophet (ﷺ)) walked ahead a little further in the darkness of the night and disappeared from my sight. I heard a loud voice. I said (to myself): "The Messenger of Allah might have met (mishap or an enemy)". I wished I could go after him but I remembered his commanding me to stay till he came back. So I waited for him; and when he came, I made mention of what I had heard. He asked, "Did you hear it?". I said, "Yes". Then he said, "It was Jibril (Gabriel), who came to me and said: 'He who dies among your Ummah without having associated anything with Allah (in worship) will enter Jannah.' I said: 'Even if he committed illicit sexual intercourse or steals?' He (Jibril) said: 'Even if he has committed illicit sexual intercourse or steals"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "If I had gold equal to Mount Uhud (in weight), it would not please me to pass three nights and I have a thing of it left with me, except what I retain for repayment of a debt"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Look at those who are inferior to you and do not look at those who are superior to you, for this will keep you from belittling Allah's favour to you."This is the wording in Sahih Muslim..The narration in Al-Bukhari is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "When one of you looks at someone who is superior to him in property and appearance, he should look at someone who is inferior to him".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "May he be miserable, the worshipper of the dinar and dirham, and the worshipper of the striped silk cloak. If he is given anything, he is satisfied; but if not, he is unsatisfied".

I saw seventy of the people of the Suffah and none of them had a cloak. They had either a lower garment or a blanket which they suspended from their necks. Some (cloaks) reached halfway down to the legs and some to the ankles; and the man would manage to keep it in his hand to avoid exposing his private parts..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The world is the believer's prison and the infidel's Jannah"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) took hold of my shoulders and said, "Be in the world like a stranger or a wayfarer".Ibn 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) used to say: "When you survive till the evening, do not expect to live until the morning; and when you survive until the morning, do not expect to live until the evening; (do good deeds) when you are in good health before you fall sick, and (do good deeds) as long as you are alive before death strikes"..

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, guide me to such an action which, if I do Allah will love me and the people will also love me." He (ﷺ) said, "Have no desire for this world, Allah will love you; and have no desire for what people possess, and the people will love you.".

'Umar bin Al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him) spoke at length regarding the worldly prosperity that people had achieved and said: "I saw that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) would pass his days in hunger and could not get even degraded dates to fill his stomach"..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) died when my house was void of any edible thing except for a small quantity of barley I had on a shelf and from which I kept eating it for a long time. Then when I measured what was left of it, it soon finished..

(When he died) Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left neither a dinar nor a dirham nor a male slave nor a female slave, nor anything else except his white riding mule, his weapons and his land which he had given in charity to wayfarers..

We emigrated with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) seeking the pleasure of Allah and expecting our reward from Him. Some of us died without enjoying anything of it. Among them was Mus'ab bin 'Umair (May Allah be pleased with him), who was killed in the battle of Uhud, leaving only a small coloured sheet of wool (which we used as his shroud). When we covered his head with it, his feet were exposed, and when we covered his feet with it, his head was uncovered. So the Prophet (ﷺ) told us to cover his head and to put some Idhkhir (i.e., fragrant grass) over his feet. Others among us enjoy prosperity..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Were this world worth a wing of mosquito, He would not have given a drink of water to an infidel.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily! The world is accursed and what it contains is accursed, except remembrance of Allah and those who associate themselves with Allah; and a learned man, and a learning person.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Do not crave for property lest you should be absorbed in the desire of worldly life.".

We were repairing our thatchy hut when Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) passed by and asked us, "What are you doing?" We said, "The thatch had gone weak and we are repairing it." He (ﷺ) said, "I see the sure thing (death) approaching sooner than this.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Verily, there is a Fitnah (trial) for every nation and the trial for my nation (or Ummah) is wealth.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "There is no right for the son of adam except in these (four) things: A house to live in, a cloth to cover therewith his private parts, bread and water.".

I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) while he was reciting (Surat At-Takathur 102):"The mutual rivalry (for hoarding worldly things) preoccupy you. Until you visit the graves (i.e., till you die). Nay! You shall come to know! Again nay! You shall come to know! Nay! If you knew with a sure knowledge (the end result of hoarding, you would not have been occupied in worldly things). Verily, you shall see the blazing Fire (Hell)! And again, you shall see it with certainty of sight! Then (on that Day) you shall be asked about the delights (you indulged in, in this world)!" (102:1-8)(After reciting) he (ﷺ) said, "Son of adam says: 'My wealth, my wealth.' Do you own of your wealth other than what you eat and consume, and what you wear and wear out, or what you give in Sadaqah (charity) (to those who deserve it), and that what you will have in stock for yourself.".

A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "O Messenger of Allah! By Allah, I love you." He (ﷺ) said, "Think about what you are saying." The man repeated thrice, "I swear by Allah that I love you." He (Prophet (ﷺ)) said, "If you love me, you should be ready for acute poverty; because poverty comes to those who love me, faster than a flood flowing towards its destination.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Two hungry wolves sent in the midst of a flock of sheep are no more destructive to them than a man's greed for wealth and fame is to his Deen.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) slept on a straw mat and got up with the marks left by it on his body. Ibn Mas'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) said, "O Messenger of Allah! Would that you make us spread out a soft bedding for you." He (ﷺ) replied, "What have I to do with the world? I am like a rider who had sat under a tree for its shade, then went away and left it.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The poor will enter Jannah five hundred years before the rich.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I looked into Jannah and saw that most of its dwellers are the poor; and I looked into Hell and saw that most of its inmates were women.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I stood at the gate of Jannah and saw that most of those who enter it were poor, whereas the rich were held back; but those who were destined to go to Hell were ordered to be sent there (immediately).".

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "The most truthful statement a poet has ever made is the saying of Labid: Everything besides Allah is vain.".

The family of Muhammad (ﷺ) never ate to the fill the bread of barley for two successive days until he died..Another narration is: 'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) said: Never did the family of Muhammad (ﷺ) eat to the fill, since their arrival to Al-Madinah, the bread of wheat for three successive nights until his death.

"O son of my sister, by Allah, I used to see the new moon, then the new moon, then the new moon, i.e., three moons in two months, and a fire was not kindled in the house of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). "I ('Urwah) said, "O my aunt, what were your means of sustenance?" She said; "Dates and water. But it (so happened) that Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had some Ansar neighbours who had milch animals. They used to send Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) some milk of their (animals) and he gave that to us to drink.".

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said that he happened to pass by some people who had a roast lamb before them. They invited him, but he declined, saying: "The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) left the world without having eaten his fill with barley bread.".

The Prophet (ﷺ) neither ate on a dining cloth, nor ate soft bread throughout his life..One narration adds: He (ﷺ) never even saw a Samit lamb.Samit is an animal prepared for food by removing its hair by boiling water, and then roasted without being skinned. This type of food is preferred by wealthy people. (Editor's Note)

I have seen your Prophet (ﷺ) when he did not find enough of even the inferior quality of dates to eat and fill his belly..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) had never seen bread made out of fine flour throughout his life, since Allah commissioned him until his death. He was asked, "Did you not have sieves at the time of the Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) never saw a sieve." He was asked, "How did you manage to eat barley bread made of unsieved flour?" He said, "We used to ground it and then blew away the husk, and what remained we kneaded into dough.".

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) went out (of his house) one day, or one night, and there he met Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) also. He (ﷺ) said, "What made you leave your houses at this hour?" They said, "It is hunger, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, what made you leave, made me also leave, so come along!" And he went along with them to a man from the Ansar, but they did not find him in his house. When the wife of that man saw the Prophet, she said, "You are most welcome." Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to her, "Where is so-and-so?" She said, "He went to fetch some fresh water for us." In the meantime, the Ansari came back, saw Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and his two companions and said: "Praise be to Allah, today no one has more honourable guests than I." He then went out and brought them a bunch of date fruit, having dates, some still green, some ripe, and some fully ripe, and requested them to eat from it. He then took his knife (to slaughter a sheep). Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him, "Do not kill a milch sheep." So he slaughtered a sheep for them. After they had eaten and drunk to their fill, Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to Abu Bakr and 'Umar (May Allah be pleased with them), "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, you will certainly be questioned about this treat on the Day of Resurrection. Hunger brought you out of your homes, and you do not return to your homes till you have been blessed with this treat.".

'Utbah bin Ghazwan, the governor of Basrah, delivered a Khutbah. He praised Allah, glorified Him, then said: "Amma b'adu, verily, the world has been given the news of its end and is running to meet its end swiftly. Nothing is left out of it but a very little amount. Similar to the remainder in a dish whose owner is collecting it to drink; and you are going to move to an abode which knows no end, and you should proceed there with the good before you, for we have been informed (by the Prophet (ﷺ)) that a stone would be thrown at one side of the Hell and it would travel down for seventy years but would not reach its bottom. By Allah, it will be filled (with men and jinn). Do you find it strange? We have been informed (i.e., by the Prophet (ﷺ)) that the distance between two shutters of the gate of Jannah is forty years (distance). And a day would come when it would be fully packed; I was the seventh amongst the seven who had been with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and we had nothing to eat but the leaves of the tree until the sides of our mouth were injured. We found a sheet which we tore into two and divided between myself and Sa'd bin Malik. I made the lower garment with half of it and so did Sa'd. Today, there is none amongst us who has not become the governor of a city, and I seek refuge with Allah that I should consider myself great while I am insignificant to Allah.".

'Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) showed us a sheet and a thick lower garment and said to us Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was wearing them when he died..

By Allah, I am the first Arab who shot an arrow in the Cause of Allah. We fought along with Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when our food was only the leaves of Hublah and Samur trees (wild trees) until one of us would defecate like the droppings of sheep..

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to supplicate: "O Allah, make the provisions of family of Muhammad (ﷺ) bare subsistence.".