3 of 5 · 10 AH · the Farewell Pilgrimage · Makkah
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas رضي الله عنه
One Third, and That Is Plenty
During the Farewell Pilgrimage, Sa'd fell seriously ill in Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ visited him, and Sa'd said that he had wealth and only a single daughter to inherit it. He asked if he could give away two thirds of it in charity.
The Prophet ﷺ said no. Sa'd asked about half, and the Prophet ﷺ said no. Then Sa'd asked about a third, and the Prophet ﷺ replied, "A third, and a third is a lot. It is better to leave your heirs rich than to leave them poor, begging from people."
The Prophet ﷺ added that whatever Sa'd spent seeking Allah's face would be rewarded, even the morsel he lifted to his wife's mouth. Then he placed his hand on Sa'd's forehead and face, and prayed for him to be healed (Sahih al-Bukhari 2742; 56).
Even generosity has a measure, and caring for family is itself worship.
How do you balance giving to others with providing for those who depend on you?
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2742 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 56 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1628 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
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