Hadith: “A morning or evening spent in the PATH of ALLAH is more superior than the world.”
Disclaimer: This hadith is taken from زاد الطالبين (Provisions for the Seekers) originally written by Shaykh Maulana Muhammad Ashiq Ilahi al-Bulandshehri in Arabic. Provision for the Seekers is the English version, with the translation and additional commentary by Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf. No copyright infringement intended whatsoever. All rights belong to the publisher(s).
Original & Translation
لَغَدوَةٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ أَو رَوحَةٌ، خَيرٌ مِّنَ الدُّنيَا وَ مَا فِيهَا
“A morning or an evening spent in the path of Allah (SWT) is more superior than the world and whatever it contains.”
Note: This authentic hadith appears in Saheeh Bukhāri and Saheeh Muslim, narrated by Sayydina Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه. There are other narrators of this same hadith, with more text to it.
Word-by-Word Definitions
- غَدوَةٌ means morning. Subhu us-Sādiq (not a word from this hadith) refers to the time people pray Fajr. Duhā (another word not from this hadith) is the time after sunrise to just before zawāl.
- رَوحَةٌ means evening.
Sentence Analysis (Tarkeeb)
لَ is laam of istinaafiyyah. غَدوَةٌ is mawsoof. فِي is harf jarr. سَبِيلِ is mudhaaf and Lafz ul-Jalaalah ( اللهِ ) is mudhaaf ilayh. Mudhaaf and mudhaaf ilayh make murakkab idhaafiyy and this murakkab is the majroor to the harf jarr فِي coming before it. Harf jarr and majroor is muta’alliq bil mahzoof khabar كَائِنَةٌ and also becomes ma’toof ‘alayh. أَو is harf ‘ataf. رَوحَةٌ is ma’toof. Ma’toof ‘alayh, harf ‘ataf, and ma’toof form the sifah to the mawsoof that is غَدوَةٌ. Mawsoof and sifah form murakkab tawseefiyy and then this murakkab becomes the mubtada.
خَيرٌ is ism tafdheel. مِّن is harf jarr. الدُّنيَا is ma’toof ‘alayh. وَ is harf ‘ataf. مَا is ism mawsool. فِيهَا is two words: فِي and هَا. So فِي is harf jarr and هَا is its majroor. This harf jarr and majroor is mut’alliq bil ism tafdheel and also becomes silah to the ism mawsool مَا coming before it. Mawsool and silah make up the ma’toof. Ma’toof ‘alayh, harf ‘ataf, and ma’toof become majroor to the harf jarr مِّن coming before it. مِّنَ الدُّنيَا وَ مَا فِيهَا is muta’alliq to ism tafdheel خَيرٌ. Muta’alliq bil ism tafdheel and ism tafdheel together form shibh ul-jumlah and this jumlah is the khabar.
Mubtada and khabr form jumlah ismiyyah khabariyyah.
Commentary
“A morning or an evening spent in the path of Allah (SWT) is more superior than the world and whatever it contains” has been explained in two ways:
#1: With good intentions, the blessings and rewards gained from a morning or evening spent in the path of Allah (SWT) are eternal. Whereas the goods of this world are transient. There is no comparison between things done for Akhirah (Hereafter) and things done for worldly gain or worldly pleasure. The key here is to have sound and proper intentions [see hadith on intentions].
#2: The rewards gained from spending time for Allah (SWT) are much greater. This is in comparison to the rewards from giving away in charity the equivalent of the whole world, had a person possessed so much. If we were to compare the two and put them on levels, then there is a difference between spending worldly material in the path of Allah (SWT) and spending physical time and effort in the path of Allah (SWT). Giving charity is just one action. It is a noble action, for sure, because for some it is hard to part with their wealth. But it is still a single action. However, constantly rectifying intentions, striving to gain the radā (pleasure) of Allah (SWT) day and night is obviously much more difficult. It is a constant battle against your nafs.
Additional Note:
In addition to the disclaimer, please note that I have not created this information. Rather, I have shared my notes on what was taught to me by my reputable teachers as I am a student of the deen (religion) Islam. All thanks to Allah, the Most High. Any mistake, misuse, or misinterpretation of the teachings would be entirely due to my lack of knowledge. If you have any questions or concerns about these notes, please feel free to leave a comment below or reach me privately through my blog here or @hadithexplained on Twitter.
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