´It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin Sa’eed bin Abu Hind that his father said:` “I heard Ibn ‘Abbas saying that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘Two blessings which many people squander: Good health and free time.’”
Explanation & Benefits
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ (Ghabn)
The meaning of (ghabn) is to sell one’s item at a much lower price than its fair value, or to buy something at a much higher price than its fair value. Such deception is suffered only by the one who does not have a proper estimation of the value of his own item, or who is influenced by the apparent glitter of another’s item and does not pay attention to its defects, etc.
➋
In good health, a person can perform many good deeds that he cannot do during illness, but due to negligence, he wastes this opportunity. In this way, by not obtaining the true value of his time, he incurs a loss.
➌
We commonly say that so-and-so cannot do a certain good deed because “I do not have time,” whereas, very often, we spend our time in play, amusement, laughter, backbiting, and idle gossip, etc. Or we waste it in reading such literature (stories, tales, novels, and indecent poetry, etc.) that has no benefit. The wasting of time on TV, VCR, video games, etc., is very obvious; yet, if a sports match is happening, young and old alike ignore all other tasks and become engrossed in listening to the commentary. This is a great loss. Instead of wasting time on these frivolities, one should choose such recreation from which some benefit is obtained. On many non-Islamic festivals, for example: Basant, etc., countless hours and money are wasted, and by committing various kinds of sins, Satan is pleased. It is obligatory upon Muslims to avoid these.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 4170
Shaykh Muhammad Husayn Memon
Chapter of Sahih Bukhari Hadith Number: 6412: «بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي الرِّقَاقِ وَأَنْ لاَ عَيْشَ إِلاَّ عَيْشُ الآخِرَةِ:»
Relationship between the Chapter and the Hadith:
The relationship between the chapter and the hadith is very difficult, because in the chapter heading, the statement of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam is mentioned: "True life is the life of the Hereafter." Whereas in the hadith narrated under the chapter from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhuma, these words are not present.
Ibn al-Munir rahimahullah, while explaining the relationship between the chapter and the hadith, says:
«وجه دخول الحديث الأول فى الترجمة أن الناس غبن كثير منهم هاتين النعمتين إيثارًا منهم لعيش الدنيا على عيش الآخرة، فبين بحديث الترجمة أن العيش الذى شغفوا به ليس بشييءٍ، إنما العيش هو الذى شغلوا عنه.» (2)
"That is, many people are deceived regarding these two blessings and in preferring them, and they give preference to the pleasures of this world over the pleasures of the Hereafter. Thus, the translation of the hadith indicates that the pleasure in which a person finds delight is nothing (i.e., the pleasure of this world), and in reality, the true pleasure is that from which he remains heedless (i.e., the Hereafter)."
From this explanation of Ibn al-Munir rahimahullah, it is understood that the hadith which Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has narrated in «نعمتان مغبون فيهما» is related to the chapter in such a way that a person becomes so engrossed in the preoccupations of the world that, because of it, he forgets the pleasures of the Hereafter. Because that servant, due to the world, forgets the Hereafter; he considers the world to be the real pleasure and not the Hereafter. Therefore, this is the reason Imam Bukhari rahimahullah mentioned this hadith under the chapter.
In reality, if Allah Ta'ala grants someone leisure and, along with it, grants him health, and furthermore, engages that servant in His worship, then this is truly "light upon light," and in reality, these are the preparations for the pleasures of the Hereafter, which are worthy of envy.
Ibn Battal rahimahullah, while discussing the meanings of this hadith, writes a very excellent point. He rahimahullah says:
«معنى الحديث أن المرء لا يكون فارغًا حتى يكون مكفيا صحيح البدن، فمن حصل له ذالك فليحرض على أن لا يغبن بأن لا يترك شكر الله على ما أنعم به عليه، ومن شكره امتثال أو امره و اجتناب نواهيه، فمن فرط فى ذالك فهو المغبون، و أشار بقوله ”كثير من الناس“ إلى أن الذى يوفق لذالك قليل، و قال ابن الجوزي: قد يكون الإنسان صحيحًا و لا يكون متفرغًا لشغله بالمعاش، وقد يكون مستغنيًا و لا يكون صحيحًا، فإذا اجتمعا فغلب عليه الكسل عن الطاعة فهو المغبون، و تمام ذالك أن الدنيا مزرعة الآخرة، و فيها التجارة التى يظهر ربحها فى الآخرة، فمن استعمل فراغه وصحته فى طاعة الله فهو مغبوط، و من استعملهما فى معصية الله فهو مغبون، لأن الفراغ يعقبه الشغل و الصحة يعقبها السقم، ولو لم يكن إلا الهرم كما قيل:
سير الفتى طول السلامة و البقا
فكيف ترى طول السلامة بفعل
يدد الفتي بعد اعتدال و صحة
ينوء إذا رام القيام ويحمل» (1)
"The meaning of the hadith is that generally a person is not free in such a way that his body is also sufficient, i.e., strong and healthy, for which this (blessing) is obtained, so he should be eager for this matter and not be deceived, i.e., not neglect the gratitude to Allah Ta'ala for this great blessing which He has bestowed upon him. And the requirement of gratitude is that he should comply with His commands and avoid His prohibitions. So whoever is negligent in this is deceived. «كثير من الناس» indicates that there are very few people who are granted the ability for guidance and rectitude. According to Ibn al-Jawzi rahimahullah, sometimes a person is healthy but is not free due to preoccupations with livelihood, and sometimes he is free from worries of livelihood but does not have health. Generally (it also happens that) when both these things are obtained, then laziness in all acts of obedience prevails, so such a person is deceived. Its completion is that the world is the field of the Hereafter and such a trade whose profit will become apparent in the Hereafter. So whoever spent health and leisure in acts of obedience to Allah Ta'ala, he will be envied (i.e., worthy of envy), and whoever used them in disobedience to Allah is deceived, because leisure is followed by occupation, health by sickness, and even if there is no sickness, old age is inevitable. Someone said:
'A person likes long life and well-being, but see what long life and well-being do to him? His condition becomes such that after balance and health, now he can hardly get up, rather he is lifted up with support.'
Therefore, the summary of these discussions and the best reconciliation is that which Ibn al-Munir rahimahullah has given: that a person does not consider health and leisure as a blessing and spends these blessings on the world, because a person comes to think that the life of this world is everlasting compared to the life of the Hereafter. To explain this point, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah quoted the words of «لا عيش إلا عيش الآخرة» in the chapter heading and mentioned the hadith of «نعمتان مغبون فيهما كثير» under the chapter.
Source: Awn al-Bari fi Munasabat Tarajim al-Bukhari, Volume Two, Page: 216
Shaykh Abdul Sattar al-Hammad
Hadith Commentary:
(1)
A blessing (ni‘mah) is a benefit that is bestowed upon someone as a favor. In this world, there are two blessings from Allah Most High whose value is often not appreciated, and people, by misusing them, remain in loss. The meaning of this hadith is that health and free time are two such things that, if not used appropriately, a healthy and unoccupied person remains at a loss. For when a person does not obey Allah Most High during times of health and well-being, then all the more so he will not do so during times of illness. Similarly, when he has moments of leisure available to him, but spends them without any good deed, then who could be in greater loss than him?
(2)
Sometimes a person is healthy, but due to being occupied with means of livelihood, he is not free for worship. And sometimes it happens that he is free from the means of livelihood, but is deprived of the blessing of health, so due to illness he is unable to remember Allah Most High. When a person is both healthy and has free time, yet remains deprived of virtues and perfections, then he is in complete loss.
(3)
Since this world is the field of cultivation and the marketplace for the Hereafter, on this basis, a person should employ both blessings—bodily health and leisure in this world—in obedience and servitude to Allah Most High, and strive for success in the Hereafter.
Wallahu al-musta‘an.
Source: Hidayat al-Qari: Commentary on Sahih Bukhari, Urdu, Page: 6412
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
Explanation:
1:
That is, people do not value them—one is good health and the other is free time; rather, they simply waste them. Whereas, one should consider good health as a blessing before sickness, and free time as a blessing before becoming occupied.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 2304