HIS ABSTINENCE (PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAH BE UPON HIM) AND HIS DISREGARD OF THIS WORLD
His abstinence (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his disregard of this world, his focus, effort and action for the world of eternity
The Most High says:
“And strain not your eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to various groups of them (polytheists and disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah), the splendor of the life of this world that We may test them thereby. But the provision (good reward in the Hereafter) of your Lord is better and more lasting.” [Soorah Taha: 131]
Allah the Most High says:
“And keep yourself (O Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, and other righteous deeds) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face; and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, and who allows his own lusts, and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.” Allah the Most High says:
“ Therefore withdraw (O Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)) from him who turns away from Our Reminder (this Qur’an) and desires nothing but the life of this world. That is what they could reach of knowledge.” [Soorah an-Najm: 29, 30]
He (SWT) says:
“And indeed, We have bestowed upon you seven of Al-Mathani (the seven repeatedly recited Verses), (i.e.
Soorat Al-Fatihah) and the Grand Qur’an. Look not with your eyes ambitiously at what We have bestowed on certain classes of them (the disbelievers), nor grieve over them. And lower your wings for the believers (be courteous to the fellow-believers)” [Soorah Al- Hijr 15:87, 88].
And the verses in this respect are many.
Ibn Abbas would narrate, “Allah sent one of the angels to his Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) with Jibreel, and the angel said to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), “Allah gives you the choice either to become a Prophet slave or a Prophet king.” So the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) turned to Jibreel like the one who seeks counsel then Jibreel indicated to him that he should be humble. Thereafter the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Rather, I shall be a Prophet slave.” From those words onwards, he never ate leaning back until he met Allah the Great and the Almighty.
It has been affirmed in the two Saheehs from the hadeeth of Ibn Abbas, from Umar bin al-Khattab in the hadeeth of the ’Eela’ [type of divorce] of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) from his wives that he would not have intimate relations with his wives for a month. He secluded himself from them in a single room, and when Umar entered upon him in that room he saw that there wasn’t anything therein except for a pile of prickly leaves and some leather skin hung up and a heap of wheat whilst he was lying on a knitted rug that had left an impression on his side.
On seeing this, Umar began to cry then he [the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)] said, “What is wrong with you?” So I said, “O Messenger of Allah, you are the best of Allah’s creation and Kisra and Qaisar are in [the bliss] the condition that they are in.” Then he sat up with a reddened face and said, “Are you in a state of doubt, O Ibn al-Khattab?” Thereafter he said, “They are a people who have had their pleasures/enjoyment brought forward for their worldly abode.”
In the narration of Muslim, “Are you not satisfied that they have the worldly life and for us is the Hereafter?” So I said, “Indeed, O Messenger of Allah.” He said, “So praise Allah the Great and the Almighty.” Then when a month passed by Allah the Great and the Almighty commanded him to inform his wives and revealed to him his statement:
“O Prophet (Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him))! Say to your wives: If you desire the life of this world, and its glitter, Then come! I will make a provision for you and set you free in a handsome manner (divorce).But if you desire Allah and His Messenger, and the home of the Hereafter, then verily, Allah has prepared for the good-doers amongst you an enormous reward.” [Soorah al- Ahzab 33: 28, 29].
And we mentioned this in detail in our book Tafseer. So he began with ‘A’ishah and said to her, “I am going to mention a matter to you, so do not rush until you ask your parents’ permission.” And he read to her this verse. She said, “I said, “Shall I ask my parents’ permission in this? For indeed I choose Allah and his Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter.” And the rest of his wives also said the same – may Allah be pleased with them.
Narrated by Ibn Mas‘ood, he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) lay on a rug and the rug left a mark on his skin. Then I began to rub it and said, “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! Would you not give me permission so we can spread something that will protect you from that you can lie on?” He said, “My example in this world is that of a traveler that took rest under the shade of a tree and then went and left it.”
Narrated by Abu Hurairah: The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “If I had the amount of Uhud in gold it would not please me that three nights pass by me and I have some of it left over, unless I was to keep it for a debt.”
Narrated by Abu Hurairah, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “O Allah, the provision of the family of Muhammad, is basic food needs.”
Narrated by Anas, he said, “O Allah let me live the life of a poor person, cause me to die as a poor person and raise me with the poor people on the Day of Judgment.” Then ‘A’ishah said, “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “Indeed they enter Paradise before the rich by [the period of] 40 autumns. O ‘A’ishah, do not turn the poor person away even [if you give] a date stone. O ‘A’ishah, love the poor and bring them close, then Allah will bring you near on the Day of Judgment.”
Narrated by Sahl bin Sa‘d, he was asked, “Did the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) see an- Naqiyy with his eyes, i.e., al-Huwwara [a type of bread]. Then he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) did not see an-Naqiyy with his eyes until he met Allah the Great and the Almighty.” Then he was asked, “Did you have sieves in the era of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)?” He said, “We didn’t have sieves.”Then he was asked, “So what do you do with wheat?”He said, “We would blow it, some of it would be blown away.”
Narrated by Abu Umamah, he said, “Even a loaf of wheat bread would not remain in the household of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him).”
Narrated by Abu Hazim, he said, “I saw Abu Hurairah point with his finger many times, “By the One in Whose hand is the soul of Abu Hurairah, the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and his family did not eat to their fill for three consecutive days from wheat bread until he left this world.”
Narrated by ‘A’ishah, she said the household of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) never ate to their fill of wheat bread since they arrived in Madinah for three consecutive days till he left on his path [i.e. died].”
Narrated by ‘A’ishah, she said, “We used to bring out al-Kura‘ [thin shin bone with little meat] after 15 days to eat.” I asked, “Why did you do that?” So she laughed and said, “The family of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) were never full from wheat bread three consecutive days until he met Allah the Great and the Almighty.”
Narrated by ‘A’ishah also, she said, “A month would pass by the family of the Prophet without them lighting a fire, [we had] nothing but dates and water unless we were given meat.”
And in the two Saheehs, from ‘A’ishah she said, “A month would pass by us, the family of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), then another month and then another month without us lighting a fire. We only had the two black [sources]: dates and water, except that the dwellers surrounding us from the Ansar would send to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) the milk of their sheep. So he would drink and give us some from that milk.”
Narrated by ‘A’ishah, she said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) did not satisfy his hunger from wheat bread for two consecutive days till he was taken [died].”
‘A’ishah said, “The family of Abu Bakr sent us a sheep’s leg at night, then the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) held and I cut, or I held and I cut.” Then the one who she informed said, “Without a lamp?” She said, “If we had a lamp we would have used it as soup [i.e. the fat or oil for the lamp]. A month would pass by the family of Muhammad without them baking bread or cooking a pot.”
Narrated by Anas he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) used to blow in the drink thrice and say, “It quenches better and is safer and more appropriate.”
Al-Bukhari narrated from the hadeeth of Qatadah from Anas, he said, “I have not known that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) ever saw a thin well-baked bread till he died, and he never saw a roasted sheep with his eyes.”
In another narration by him [al-Bukhari] also, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) did not eat on a table or a small bowl, nor was thin well-baked bread, baked for him.” So I said to Anas, “Then what did they used to eat on?” He said,” On Sufar [sheets placed on the floor].”
Also [narrated] by him from Anas, “[Anas] walked to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) with wheat bread and oil of changing scent. He had redeemed his shield to a Jew in return for some wheat for his family and I heard him on one day say, “There has never been a Sa‘ [measurement approx. just over 2 kg] of dates nor a Sa‘ of wheat with the family of Muhammad.” Narrated by Anas, “The Messenger of Allah did not have lunch and dinner of bread and meat except in a gathering of people [i.e. he did not satisfy his hunger eating with many people].”
Narrated by an-Nu‘man bin Basheer, he said, “I heard Umar bin al-Khattab give a speech, he mentioned what Allah granted for the people. He said, “Indeed I saw the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) experience pangs from hunger. He could not [even] find the amount of poor quality dates to fill his stomach.”
In the story of Abu’l-Haitham bin at-Tayyihan, “Abu Bakr and Umar came out [from their houses] owing to hunger and whilst they were in that state the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) came out, then said, “What causes you to come out?” They said, “Hunger.” Then he said, “By the One in Whose hand is my soul, indeed that which caused you to come out, caused me to come out.” Then they went to Abu’l-Haitham bin at- Tayyihan’s garden then he gave them fresh dates and sacrificed a sheep for them. Then they ate and drank cold water. And the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “This is from the pleasures that you will be asked about.”
It has been affirmed in the two Saheehs from ‘A’ishah that she was asked about the mattress of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), so she said, “It was from leather stuffed with palm tree fiber.”
Narrated by Hakeem bin Hizam, he said, “I went to Yemen and bought the cloak of Dhu Yazan [king of Yemen] and granted it to the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) at the time when there was an agreement between him and the Quraish, so he said, “I do not accept the gift of an idolater.” He rejected it, then I offered it for sale and he bought it. Then he wore it and came out to his Companions wearing it and I never saw a thing on another better than him in it [cloak]. I couldn’t control myself and said,
“The leaders don’t look with grace
After it has become clearly manifest from Ghurrah and Hujool [white patches on horses’ forehead and legs]
When they compare him with majesty he overcomes them.
With the drainage of water out of a full bucket.”
The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) heard it and turned to me smiling then he entered and clothed Usamah bin Zaid with it.”
Narrated by Umm Salamah, she said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) entered upon us with a reddened face, I thought that was from illness or pain. So I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I see you have a reddened face, is that from illness?” He said, “No, however the seven Dinars that came to us yesterday, a day has passed and we have not spent it [for Allah’s sake], I forgot it in the side of the mattress.”
Narrated by Abu Umamah bin Sahl, he said, “Urwah and I entered upon ‘Aishah one day, she said, “Only if you were to see the Prophet of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) on one day during his illness. He had six Dinars with me – Moosa [sub narrator] said, “seven,” – then the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded me to distribute it. The illness of the Prophet of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) distracted me till Allah the Great and the Almighty cured him. Then he asked me about it and said, “What happened with the six?” – the sub narrator said, “or seven.” I [‘Aishah] said, “No, by Allah your illness distracted me from it.” She said, “Then he asked for it and placed it in his hand and said, “What would the Prophet of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) think if he met Allah and this was with him.”
Narrated by Anas, he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) would not save anything for the next day.”And this hadeeth is in the Saheeh.”
The meaning is that he wouldn’t save anything for tomorrow that deteriorates quickly like foods and similar items because of what has been affirmed in the two Saheehs from Umar, that he said, “The fortunes of Banu an-Nadeer [a Jewish tribe] is from what Allah gave to his Messenger (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) which the Muslims had not rushed towards [in battle with] any horses or camels. He would give the year’s amount of expenses to his wives and then spend the rest on cavalry and weapons as preparation for Jihad in the way of Allah.”
Imam Ahmad’s narration supports what we have mentioned.
Narrated by Abu Sa‘eed from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), he said, “How can I enjoy when the one who possesses the horn has put the horn [trumpet] to his mouth and has his forehead leaned forward and listens attentively, waiting till when he is commanded [to blow in it]?” The Muslims said, “O Messenger of Allah, what shall we say?” He said, “Say Allah is sufficient for us and the best to rely on, upon Allah we rely.”
Narrated by Khabbab regarding His statement the Most High: “And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon seeking His Face, till his statement, and thus become of the Zalimoon (unjust).” [Soorah al-An‘am: 52]
Al-Aqra‘ bin Habis at-Tameemi and Uyaina bin Hisn al-Fazari and found the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) with Suhaib, Bilal, Ammar and Khabbab sitting in the company of some of the weak ones from the believers. When they saw them around the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) they looked down on them. Then they came and secluded themselves with him (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), and said, “We want you to organize such an assembly that the Arabs can see our virtue, because delegations of the Arabs come to you and we feel ashamed that they see us with these slaves. So we have come to you in order that you turn them away and when we are done you can sit with them if you want to.” He (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Yes.” They said, “So write a note for us against you.”
He said [ the narrator], “Then he (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) asked for a book or paper and called upon Ali to write whilst we were sitting in a corner, then Jibreel (Peace be upon him) descended and said, “And turn not away those who invoke their Lord, morning and afternoon seeking His Face. You are accountable for them in nothing, and they are accountable for you in nothing, that you may turn them away, and thus become of the Zalimoon (unjust). [Soorah al-An‘am: 52]
Then He mentioned al-Aqra‘ bin Habis and Uyaina bin Hisn: “Thus We have tried some of them with others, that they might say: “Is it these (poor believers) that Allah has favored from amongst us?” Does not Allah know best those who are grateful? [Soorah al-An‘am: 53]
Then He said, “When those who believe in Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) come to you, say: “Salamun ‘Alaikum” (peace be on you); your Lord has written Mercy for Himself” [Soorah al-An‘am: 54]
He said [the narrator], “Thereafter we sat close to him till our knees were on his knees, then the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) sat with us and if he wanted to leave he stood and left us, then Allah the Great and the Almighty revealed: “And keep yourself (O Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)) patiently with those who call on their Lord (i.e. your companions who remember their Lord with glorification, praising in prayers, etc., and other righteous deeds, etc.) morning and afternoon, seeking His Face, and let not your eyes overlook them [Soorah al-Kahf: 28]
“And don’t sit with the rich/noble, desiring the pomp and glitter of the life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our Remembrance, – i.e. Uyainah and al-Aqra‘ – one who follows his own lusts and whose affair (deeds) has been lost.” [Soorah al-Kahf: 28]
The Prophet said, “Destruction” i.e. the affair of Uyainah and al-Aqra‘, then he [Allah] set forth for them the parable of two men and the parable of worldly life. Khabbab said, “We used to sit with the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and when we reached the time he would leave or stand we stood and left him so he could leave.”
And Imam Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidhi narrated from Anas [that] he said, “There wasn’t a person more beloved to me than the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). And when they [the Companions] would see him they wouldn’t stand due to their knowledge of his dislike of that.”
By Ibn Katheer
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