Source: Sharḥ Kitāb al-Jāmiʿ from Bulūgh al-Marām by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī
Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām bin Muḥammad Bhaṭwī
✦ Ḥadīth
وعن أبي سعيد الخدري رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم:
خصلتان لا يجتمعان في مؤمن: البخل وسوء الخلق
[أخرجه الترمذي وفي سنده ضعف]
Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Two traits do not coexist in a believer: miserliness and bad character.”
(Reported by al-Tirmidhī, and its chain contains some weakness.)
❖ Authentication & Source Notes
- Narrated by al-Tirmidhī [2684], also recorded in al-Adab al-Mufrad of al-Bukhārī [282].
- The isnād includes Ṣadaqah bin Mūsá, whose memory was weak and who was declared ḍaʿīf (weak) by al-Dhahabī, Ibn Maʿīn, and al-Mundhirī.
- Despite the weak chain, the meanings are supported by several authentic aḥādīth and Qur’anic verses condemning both miserliness and bad character.
❖ Key Lessons and Reflections
➊ Condemnation of Miserliness in the Qur’an
Multiple verses link miserliness (البخل) to the traits of disbelievers:
➤ Surah al-Nisāʾ (4:36-37):
“Indeed, Allah does not like the arrogant and boastful – those who are stingy and enjoin others to be stingy…”
➤ Surah al-Māʿūn (107:1-3):
“Have you seen the one who denies the Recompense? That is the one who repulses the orphan and does not encourage the feeding of the poor.”
➤ Surah al-Muddaththir (74:43-44):
“They will say: We were not of those who used to pray, nor did we feed the poor.”
➤ Surah al-Layl (92:8-10):
“But as for he who is stingy and considers himself self-sufficient, and denies the best reward – We will ease him toward difficulty.”
☞ In all these verses, miserliness is consistently associated with the behavior of the disbelievers, not with true believers.
➋ Definition and Danger of Bad Character
- “Sūʾ al-Khuluq” (bad character) refers to deeply rooted negative habits, especially in one’s interactions with others.
- In contrast, good character (ḥusn al-khuluq) is praised and regarded as part of the Prophet’s ﷺ noble traits.
Allah says regarding the Prophet ﷺ:
“And indeed, you are upon an exalted standard of character.”
[Surah al-Qalam (68:4)]
ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) was asked about the Prophet’s ﷺ character and replied:
“His character was the Qur’an.”
[Musnad Aḥmad 91/6]
➌ Negative Traits Described in Surah al-Qalam
In the same chapter (Surah al-Qalam), Allah forbids following individuals of corrupt morals, describing them with these traits:
- Excessive in oath-taking
- Worthless and dishonourable
- Backbiting and gossiping
- Preventing good
- Transgressing and sinful
- Cruel and notorious
- Arrogant due to wealth and children
- Denying the divine verses
[Surah al-Qalam: 10–15]
☞ All these are categorized as evil characteristics belonging to disbelievers and the morally corrupt.
☞ A believer — possessing true faith — is shielded from falling into such moral decay.
❖ Summary
✔️ Though the ḥadīth has a weak chain, its message is firmly grounded in Qur’an and authentic Sunnah.
✔️ Miserliness and bad character are traits of disbelief, and incompatible with genuine faith.
✔️ A believer’s nature is generous and refined — reflecting the noble character of the Prophet ﷺ.
