ONE HADITH A DAY
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim · Authentic hadith
عن سعد بن أبي وقاص رضي الله عنه قال: جاءني رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يَعُودُنِي عام حَجَّةِ الوداع من وَجَعٍ اشْتَدَّ بي، فقلت: يا رسول الله، قد بلغ بي من الوَجَعِ ما ترى، وأنا ذو مال، ولا يَرِثُنِي إلا ابنةٌ أَفَأَتَصَدَّقُ بثلثي مالي؟ قال: لا، قلت: فالشَّطْرُ يا رسول الله؟ قال: لا، قلت: فالثلث؟ قال: الثلث، والثلث كثير، إنك إن تَذَرَ وَرَثَتَكَ أغنياء خيرٌ من أن تَذَرَهُم عالَةً يَتَكَفَّفُونَ الناس، وإنك لن تنفق نفقة تبتغي بها وجه الله إلا أُجِرْتَ بها، حتى ما تجعل في فِيْ امرأتك. قال: قلت: يا رسول الله أُخَلَّفُ بعد أصحابي؟ قال: إنك لن تُخَلَّفُ فتعمل عملا تبتغي به وجه الله إلا ازْدَدْتَ به درجة ورِفْعَةً، ولعلك أن تُخَلَّفَ حتى ينتفع بك أقوام، ويُضَرُّ بك آخرون. اللهم أَمْضِ لأصحابي هجرتهم، ولا تَرُدَّهُم على أَعْقَابِهِم، لكنِ البَائِسُ سعد بن خَوْلَةَ (يَرْثِي له رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن مات بمكة).
“Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit me for an illness which became so hard to bear in the year of the Farewell Hajj. I said: "O Messenger of Allah, you can see the severity of the illness which I am experiencing. I have property and none will inherit me except a daughter. Shall I give two thirds of my property in charity?" The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'No.' I said: "Then shall I give one half, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: 'No.' Then I said: "So, (shall I give) one third?" The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "(Give) one third, and one third is too much. Indeed, leaving your heirs rich is better than leaving them poor and begging from people. You never spend anything seeking thereby the pleasure of Allah but that you are rewarded for it, even what you place in the mouth of your wife." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, will I be left here in Makkah after my companions have departed for Madīnah?" He said: "If you are left behind and do good deeds whereby you seek Allah's pleasure, you will be raised a degree and your status will be elevated on account of them. Perhaps you will be left behind so that some people may benefit by you and others may be harmed by you. O Allah, complete for my Companions their Hijrah (immigration to Madīnah), and do not turn them back on their heels. The unfortunate one, however, is Sa‘d ibn Khawlah." The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) felt sorry for him, as he had died at Makkah.”
Sa‘d ibn Abi Waqqās (may Allah be pleased with him) was severely ill during the Farewell Hajj, to the point that he feared death. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) visited him, as was his habit in looking after his Companions and caring for them. Sa‘d mentioned to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) what he thought would be good reasons for him to give most of his wealth in charity. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, I am very sick and fear death, I have much wealth, and I do not have vulnerable relatives that will inherit from me except my daughter. So can I give two thirds of my wealth in charity, after my daughter takes her share, so that I can put forward good actions for (my afterlife)?" The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'No.' So, Sa‘d said: "Then shall I give one half, O Messenger of Allah?" He said: 'No.' So Sa‘d said again: "Shall I give one third?" Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told Sa‘d that there is nothing wrong with giving one third in charity, even though that is plenty. So giving less than that is better, such as a quarter or a fifth. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained to Sa‘d the wisdom behind reducing the amount of money given in charity by mentioning two points: 1. That he leaves his heirs wealthy and benefiting from his benevolence and wealth is better than him leaving them depending on the kindness of other people as a result of him giving his property to others than them. 2. Or that he stays al…