Hadith – Be in the world like a stranger…
Summary of the explanation of the hadith from 40 Hadith Nawawi commentary by Shaikh Jamal ad-Din Zarabozo. I will only cover the first half of the hadith in this article. I will focus on ‘this world’, ‘stranger’ and ‘traveler along a path’.
On the authority of ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), said:
“The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of my shoulder and said, ‘be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler along a path.’ And ibn Umar would say, “If you survive till the afternoon, do not expect (to be alive in) the morning, and if you survive until the morning to not expect (to be alive) in the afternoon. Take from your health for your sickness and from your life for your death.” Recorded by al-Bukhari and others.
General Comments About the Hadith
This hadith is truly profound in meaning with far-reaching implications. If one ponders over the meaning of this hadith and applies it correctly, it could lead him to a great deal of good as this worldly life can be a create threat to a life of piety. This hadith is a vivid reminder of the real nature of this world – the believer who understands and implements the hadith with find himself high above this worldly life rather than a slave to it.
The Hadith
“Took hold of my shoulder”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of ibn Umar’s shoulder. It seems clear that the purpose of that act demonstrates how important it was to Rasool Allah to have ibn Umar’s complete attention. Ibn Umar would then understand that he is about to be told something very important and remember this action of the Messenger of Allah and what he told him at that time.
This demonstrates that the Messenger of Allah not only conveyed the message, but he conveyed it in the best way possible. He conveyed in such a way that the people would understand and remember it. It is clear from ibn Umar’s own advice after relating this hadith of the Prophet that he did understand and retain what the Prophet had taught him. Ibn Umar was about 20 years of age when the Prophet died so it is important to see how the Prophet took special care in teaching the younger companions. He brought them up with the clear teachings of Islam such that they would learn its message at an early age and develop and grow in the shade of that message. Perhaps, also, the Prophet knew the inspiration and influence these companions would hold in the future as propagators and teachers of the faith.
“be in the world”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) explained to ibn Umar (and thus all the believers) how he should be in respect to this world – referred to in Arabic as ad-duniya. Dunya comes from the root meaning both closeness and something despicable or lowly. This world is called dunya for two reasons: First, as the present time, it is closer to the humans than the Hereafter, and second, it is despicable or abased in comparison to the Hereafter[1].
This hadith is a clear sign that a true believer does not put his aspirations and heart into this world as this world is not his real home. Instead, on his mind is that he is moving towards his real destination, real home and real resting place and so he will not plant his heart and mind too firmly in this earth.
Among the implications here is that if the believers loses anything of this world or is not able to attain something of this world, it will not have a great effect on his heart and emotions. Someone attached to this duniya may even be willing to kill himself due to difficulties and depression and lack of having anything else to look forward to.
It is only those who are deceived by the glitter they see around them who become engrossed in this world and desires until their deaths. When a person realizes the true nature of this world, as taught in the Quran and Sunnah, it becomes very easy for him to become detached from this world and to deal with it in the proper way. In order to help the reader achieve that realization, verses of Quran and Hadith that demonstrate the reality of this world will be presented here but with a minimum of commentary.
“Know that the life of this world is but amusement and diversion and adornment and boasting to one another and competition in increase of wealth and children. In reality it is like the example or rain resulting in plant growth which pleases the disbelievers, When it dries and you see it turn yellow and then it becomes scattered debris. And in the Hereafter is severe punishment and forgiveness from Allah and approval. And what is the worldly life except the enjoyment of delusion.” (al-Hadeed:20)
“And the worldly life is not but amusement and diversion. But the home of the Hereafter is best for those who fear Allah. So will you not then reason?” (al-Anaam:32)
“And this worldly life is not but diversion and amusement. And indeed, the home of the Hereafter, that is the true life if only they knew.” (al-Ankaboot:64)
“This worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe and fear Allah, He will give you your reward and not ask you for your wealth.” (Muhammad:36)
Ibn al-Qayyim points out that play, amusement and diversion have no real purpose or benefit. They are simply things that occupy the soul and causes it to waste its time and not involve itself in important matters. The ignorant people spend their whole lives in pursuit of such vain activities without any benefit for themselves in the Hereafter.
Allah has also described this world as zeenah– something alluring, beautiful or attractive. This world can get the person so engrossed that he forgets the Hereafter. He gets deceived into believing that the goals of this life are worth living for even if it means neglecting duties towards Allah. These are some of the ways by which Satan seduces us and makes us forget about our real purpose.
“O mankind, indeed, the promise of Allah is true, so let not the worldly life delude you and be not deceived about Allah by the deceiver (Satan)” (Fatir:5)
In the Quran, Allah has made it clear that He will give this world to whoever He wills, believer or disbeliever; such worldly possessions are not of great importance. However, the Hereafter, which is the true bounty and the matter of great importance, He reserves only for His believers and those whom He is pleased with.
The Messenger of Allah also said,
“By Allah, it is not poverty that I fear for you but I fear that this world will be spread out for you as it was spread out for the peoples before you, and then you will compete in it as they competed in it and it will destroy you as it destroyed them.” (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Ibn Uthaimeen comments on this hadith saying that poverty or being poor allows one to be closer to following the truth than being rich. Indeed most of the people who followed the Prophet, especially in the early years, were from among the poor. Throughout history, most of the people who rejected the Messengers were the rich and arrogant. (This phenomenon is mentioned many times in Quran).
“This world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.” (Muslim)
This world can be very alluring and for that reason, Allah the Most Wise warned the Prophet Muhammad about being with those people who are seeking only this world. The Prophet (and an instruction for all believers) was told to seek the company of those people who are working for the Hereafter. He should be with them and face trials, sacrifices and difficulties of this world with patience. And Allah said,
“And keep yourself (O Muhammad) patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and afternoon, seeking His countenance, and let not your eyes overlook them, desiring the pomp and glitter of life of the world; and obey not him whose heart We have made heedless of Our remembrance, on who follows his own lusts and whose affair has been lost. And say: the truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe. And whoso ever wills, let him disbelieve.” (al-Kahf 28-29)
“Like a Stranger”
The first feeling a believer should have towards this world is that of a stranger in a stranger land. He feels that he is in a place where he does not belong. This is not his home and he cannot feel entirely happy here. His heart can never be tied to this land. Instead, his heart and mind are preoccupied with getting back to his home and his efforts are filled with that purpose. He is spending his time, money and capabilities to gather what he needs to return to his home.
Therefore, the believer’s live, long-term aspirations, goal in life, time, efforts, work and wealth should never be spent for the purposes of this worldly life alone. Instead, they should all be guided by his want to please Allah and to be entered among Allah’s pious servants in the everlasting home of Jannah.
The stranger is not happy with his day unless he feels that during it he has done something that will eventually lead him back to his home – his final goal. Furthermore, the stranger does not try to compete with the inhabitants of the strange land because his interests and their interests are completely at odds. In addition, he is not trying to win their respect or praise, as in his heart he is merely seeking to return to his home. Al-Hasan al-Basri once said, “the believer is in the world like a stranger. He does not become unhappy from its humiliation, nor does he compete for its honour. He has one purpose and the people have another purpose.”
“a traveler along a path”
The second possibility is that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) mentioned for the believer is to be like a traveler along a path. This implies that the person is actually not residing anywhere but is always moving toward his final destination or goal. The end of his travels of course, will be his death. Therefore, his only preoccupation is to gather the provisions that he needs to continue his journey and make his life journey a successful one.
In a hadith, it is narrated that the Messenger of Allah was lying on a hard mat. Ibn Masood began to wipe the effects of the mat from the Prophet’s body and suggested that he have something better to sleep on. The Prophet said, “What do I have to do with this worldly life? I and this worldly life are but like a traveler who stopped for a little while under a tree to get some shade and then he moved on.” (recorded by Ahmad, al-Tirmidhi, ibn Majah and other according to al-Albani it is sahih).
Al-Nawawi stated that a person in this world is like a slave who was sent by his master to another land to fulfill some objective. His goal will be to fulfill that objective as quickly as possible and then return to his land and owner. As long as he is there, he will not bother with anything else along the way or with gathering as much as he can from that other land.
Ibn Hajar stated, “In the same way that a traveler is not in need of more than what will get him to his destination, a believer does not need any more of this world than what will help him reach his destination.”
Hence, the believer is not interested in gathering too much of this world because such things make it more difficult for him to continue on his travels and to travel easily. Because this world is so alluring and attractive, it is easy for a Muslim to forget this when he becomes attracted and attached to the things of this world, he forgets he is on a journey. Instead of being ready to move closer to his destination, his store of worldly possessions and strong attachment to them render him unable to move on to the next leg of his trip. He is now no longer gathering provisions for his journey and his final destination but he is now accumulating things to help him stay where he is and become a full-fledged resident of this world. In other words he has lost sight of the face that he is supposed to be working and traveling toward a destination by his preoccupation of this worldly life.
There is another important aspect that any traveler must be aware of; not getting lost or sidetracked along the way. The travels of a believer may be very long before he meets is Lord. Along the way there are many things that may distract him and there are even enemies along the path. Shaytan, for example, is ever ready to take the believer away from the path. Therefore, the believer who is on this journey must always be seeking Allah’s guidance and His help to keep him moving in the right direction. Any straying from that path could be disastrous – his end may come suddenly and he may never have had the chance to return to the straight path. Allah has awakened the believers to that sobering reality and He has guided them to say in every rakah of prayer, “Guide us to the Straight Path.” Similarly, the Messenger of Allah by his example of constantly making the following supplication, taught the believers to say,
“O the One who turns the hearts, confirm my heart upon your religion,” (al-Tirmidhi and others, al-Albani says it is sahih).