We must remind ourselves of the methodology of the Prophet ﷺ in his relationship with wealth and his detachment from worldly possessions. His asceticism was not due to an inability to acquire wealth or attain worldly prosperity. Rather, he ﷺ chose this path so that his Ummah would follow his example in patiently enduring hardship, bearing the difficulties of life, turning away from the attractions and adornments of this world, and directing their hearts toward the Hereafter.
When people reflect upon his life and noble character, and observe his contentment with little despite having access to much, this inspires them to adopt a similar detachment from worldly excess, following his example, adhering to his Sunnah, loving him ﷺ, and obeying the command of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic:
“Say, [O Muhammad], if you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you.” (Qur’an 3:31)
The more closely a servant follows, imitates, and resembles the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, the nearer he becomes to the mercy of his Lord and the more hopeful he may be of attaining Paradise and divine reward. Every person is rewarded according to his deeds.
There is no life more excellent than a life lived in accordance with the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The following are some glimpses of his noble way of life and examples of his asceticism, may my father and mother be sacrificed for him, so that the successful believer may take him as an example.
Examples of the Prophet’s Simple Living
Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir رضي الله عنه said:
“Are you not able to eat and drink whatever you wish? I saw your Prophet ﷺ when he could not find even poor quality dates sufficient to fill his stomach.”
Narrated by Muslim and Al-Tirmidhi.
Al-Daql refers to low quality dates.
‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها narrated:
“The family of Abu Bakr sent us a sheep’s leg at night. I held it while the Prophet ﷺ cut it.”
The narrator remarked:
“This occurred without the aid of a lamp.”
Narrated by Ahmad and authenticated by Al-Albani.
‘Urwah narrated from ‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها that she would say:
“By Allah, my nephew, we would see one crescent moon, then another, then another, three crescents over the course of two months, and no fire would be lit in the houses of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
I asked:
“Then what sustained you?”
She replied:
“The two black things: dates and water.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Sahl ibn Sa’d رضي الله عنه said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ never saw refined flour from the time Allah sent him until He took him back. Nor did he ever see a sieve from the time Allah commissioned him until his death.”
When asked how they ate unsifted barley, he replied:
“We would grind it and blow away what was light, then moisten what remained and eat it.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
Ibn Mas’ud رضي الله عنه said:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ slept upon a straw mat which left marks upon his side. We said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, if only we could prepare a mattress for you.'”
He replied:
“What have I to do with this world? My likeness in this world is that of a traveller who seeks shade beneath a tree, then moves on and leaves it behind.”
Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah.
‘Amr ibn Al-Harith رضي الله عنه said:
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed away, he left neither dinar nor dirham, neither servant nor slave, nor any other property except his white mule, his weapons, and a piece of land which he dedicated as charity for travellers.”
Narrated by Al-Bukhari.
His Asceticism Was a Choice
The Prophet’s ﷺ detachment from worldly life was a deliberate choice and not poverty, as some people mistakenly assume.
Some imagine that he was poor and merely endured poverty patiently. The reality is that he voluntarily chose asceticism, preferring what is with Allah, seeking the reward of the Hereafter, and setting an example for his Ummah.
Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
Jibril sat with the Prophet ﷺ when an angel descended from the heavens. Jibril said:
“This angel has never descended since the day he was created.”
The angel then said:
“O Muhammad, your Lord has sent me to ask you: Would you prefer to be a king-prophet or a servant-messenger?”
Jibril said:
“Be humble before your Lord, O Muhammad.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ replied:
“Rather, I choose to be a servant-messenger.”
Narrated by Ibn Hibban and authenticated by Al-Albani.
This demonstrates that he ﷺ consciously chose humility, servitude, and simplicity despite being offered worldly authority and kingship.
Contentment With Sufficiency
Abu Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would supplicate:
“O Allah, make the provision of the family of Muhammad sufficient for their needs.”
Agreed upon by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
Likewise, ‘A’ishah رضي الله عنها narrated that an Ansari woman saw the Prophet’s ﷺ simple bedding and later sent a mattress stuffed with wool.
When the Prophet ﷺ entered and saw it, he asked:
“What is this, O ‘A’ishah?”
She explained what had happened.
The Prophet ﷺ responded:
“Return it, O ‘A’ishah. By Allah, if I wished, Allah would cause mountains of gold and silver to flow alongside me.”
Narrated by Al-Bayhaqi and graded Hasan by Al-Albani.
These narrations clearly show that the Prophet ﷺ chose a life of sufficiency despite having access to wealth. Had he wished, Allah could have granted him immense treasures and worldly riches. Instead, he preferred asceticism in this world in order to attain a higher rank in the Hereafter.
The Companions Followed His Example
The Companions رضي الله عنهم learned this noble quality directly from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Even after great conquests brought immense wealth into the Muslim community, many of them continued to live modestly, preserving the Prophetic model of asceticism.
Anas رضي الله عنه said:
“I saw ‘Umar while he was Commander of the Faithful, and between his shoulders were three patches sewn onto his garment.”
Narrated by Malik and authenticated by Al-Albani.
‘Abdullah ibn Shaddad narrated:
“I saw ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan on the pulpit on a Friday wearing a coarse garment from Aden worth four or five dirhams.”
Narrated by Al-Tabarani and authenticated by Al-Albani.
Had the Companions not understood asceticism to be part of the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ, ‘Umar would not have remained so simple while controlling the wealth of vast lands, nor would ‘Uthman have worn coarse clothing despite being among the wealthiest people of his time.
Zuhd: The Path of the Prophets and the Righteous
For this reason, asceticism became a hallmark of the righteous, following the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his noble Companions.
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged this quality when a man came to him and said:
“O Messenger of Allah, direct me to an action which, if I do it, Allah will love me and people will love me.”
The Prophet ﷺ replied:
“Be detached from the world and Allah will love you. Be detached from what people possess and people will love you.”
Narrated by Ibn Hibban and graded Hasan by Imam Al-Nawawi and Al-Albani.
Ibn Rajab Al-Hanbali رحمه الله commented on this hadith, stating that it demonstrates Allah’s love for those who renounce attachment to worldly excess.
Allah has repeatedly criticised excessive attachment to worldly life:
“No indeed! Rather, you love the fleeting world and neglect the Hereafter.” (Qur’an 75:20-21)
“And you love wealth with immense love.” (Qur’an 89:20)
“And indeed, he is intense in his love of wealth.” (Qur’an 100:8)
If attachment to the world is blameworthy, then turning away from it for the sake of Allah is praiseworthy.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ also said:
“Whoever loves his worldly life harms his Hereafter, and whoever loves his Hereafter harms his worldly life. Therefore, give preference to that which remains over that which perishes.”
And he ﷺ said:
“Whoever makes this world his primary concern, Allah will scatter his affairs, place poverty before his eyes, and he will receive only what has been decreed for him. But whoever makes the Hereafter his intention, Allah will unite his affairs, place richness in his heart, and the world will come to him in submission.”
Thus, detachment from worldly excess remains the path of Allah’s Prophets, His righteous servants, and His beloved friends.
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