Explanation of the Hadith: "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler"
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
May Allah reward you. This is Sa'id Muhammad from Abha. He says: In the hadith from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both)Mishkat al-Masabih 1604 narrated by al-Bukhari. May Allah reward you. Please explain to us some of the meanings of this hadith.
The Shaykh:
The meaning of this hadith is clear: that a person should have little attachment to this world. He should not take from it except what he needs. He should not be preoccupied with this world to the neglect of his religion; he should not be preoccupied with seeking this world to the neglect of establishing his religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took Ibn 'Umar by the shoulder and said to him, "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." It is known that a stranger...
...in a land other than his own does not settle down or feel at ease until he returns to his own land. So the believer should not be preoccupied with this world to the neglect of the Hereafter, for the Hereafter is the land of permanent abode. Indeed, the Hereafter is the abode of permanence. He should not be preoccupied with this world to the neglect of the deeds for the Hereafter that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed, or as a traveler?
...and he is the traveler, the one who is on a journey. When a traveler passes through a town, he does not stay in it or feel at ease in it until he returns to his own land. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded Ibn 'Umar, and this is a command for all Muslims, that a person should not feel secure in this world or be preoccupied with it to the neglect of the abode of the Hereafter.
So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:[Al-Qasas 28:77] He takes from this world only what he needs for his religion and his worldly life, and he does not let it preclude him from obeying Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and from establishing the obligations that Allah has made obligatory upon him. Rather, he works for his Hereafter more than he works for his worldly life. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you. Is there a connection between the saying, "Work for your worldly life as if you will live forever, and work for your Hereafter as if you will die tomorrow"?
The Shaykh:
Yes. Work for your worldly life as if you will live... work for your Hereafter...
The presenter:
...as if...
The Shaykh:
...you will die tomorrow. This means: keep the reality of death in mind and do not delay the deeds for the Hereafter, lest death overtake you suddenly and you have left behind the deeds for the Hereafter. And work for your worldly life, because a person must have what he lives on, and he must provide for those whose maintenance is his responsibility. So he takes from it only what he needs for himself and for those he supports. He does not let himself be preoccupied with more than that. Yes, he seeks sustenance, and seeking sustenance is prescribed, but he should not let that preclude him from the deeds for the Hereafter. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
May Allah reward you. This is Sa'id Muhammad from Abha. He says: In the hadith from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both)
‘Abdallah b. ‘Umar told of God’s messenger taking him by the shoulders and saying, ‘‘Be in the world as though you were a stranger or one who is passing through.”
قال أخذ رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بمنكبي فقال كن في الدنيا كأنك غريب أو عابر سبيلThe Shaykh:
The meaning of this hadith is clear: that a person should have little attachment to this world. He should not take from it except what he needs. He should not be preoccupied with this world to the neglect of his religion; he should not be preoccupied with seeking this world to the neglect of establishing his religion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) took Ibn 'Umar by the shoulder and said to him, "Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." It is known that a stranger...
...in a land other than his own does not settle down or feel at ease until he returns to his own land. So the believer should not be preoccupied with this world to the neglect of the Hereafter, for the Hereafter is the land of permanent abode. Indeed, the Hereafter is the abode of permanence. He should not be preoccupied with this world to the neglect of the deeds for the Hereafter that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has prescribed, or as a traveler?
...and he is the traveler, the one who is on a journey. When a traveler passes through a town, he does not stay in it or feel at ease in it until he returns to his own land. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded Ibn 'Umar, and this is a command for all Muslims, that a person should not feel secure in this world or be preoccupied with it to the neglect of the abode of the Hereafter.
So Allah (Mighty and Majestic) says:
do not forget your share of the world. And do good as Allah has done good to you.
وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَThe presenter:
May Allah reward you. Is there a connection between the saying, "Work for your worldly life as if you will live forever, and work for your Hereafter as if you will die tomorrow"?
The Shaykh:
Yes. Work for your worldly life as if you will live... work for your Hereafter...
The presenter:
...as if...
The Shaykh:
...you will die tomorrow. This means: keep the reality of death in mind and do not delay the deeds for the Hereafter, lest death overtake you suddenly and you have left behind the deeds for the Hereafter. And work for your worldly life, because a person must have what he lives on, and he must provide for those whose maintenance is his responsibility. So he takes from it only what he needs for himself and for those he supports. He does not let himself be preoccupied with more than that. Yes, he seeks sustenance, and seeking sustenance is prescribed, but he should not let that preclude him from the deeds for the Hereafter. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you,
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، برنامج (فتاوى) (203) لمعالي الشيخ صالح الفوزان بتاريخ [1441-04-22] - كبار العلماء — youtube.com (4:16)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.