Giving precedence to deeds for the Hereafter over deeds for this world

Maymun bin Abi Shabib narrates about Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was among a group of riders from the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). A man passed by and asked those people some questions, which they answered. Then that man reached Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), who at that time had his head resting on his saddle and was talking to himself (lost in thought). He asked: "What did you ask them about?" He said: I asked them about such-and-such, and they gave such-and-such answers. At this Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "There are two things which, if you adopt them, it is as though you have attained the essence of all the best of what they said; and if you abandon them, you have lost all the good they said. They are these: If you begin (your priorities and striving) with your share of this world, your share of the Hereafter will slip from your hands, and it may well be that in this struggle you do not even attain the worldly goal you intend. But if you begin with your share of the Hereafter, it will gather your worldly share along with it and arrange all your affairs in the best manner, and then the world will go round with you wherever you go."
Takhrij: This narration is mentioned in Musnad Ishaq bin Rahwayh (3275).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Adopting dignity, forbearance and deliberateness in every matter is a commendable and praiseworthy act, except in the (good) deeds of the Hereafter (in which, instead of hesitating and delaying, one should hasten)."
Imam Abu Dawud reported this narration in his Sunan, and its chain is sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Rafi' bin Khadij (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed, when Allah Almighty loves a servant, He protects him from the world (its impurities and trials) just as one of you keeps his sick person away from water (fearing harm)."
Ibn Lahi'ah differed in the chain of this narration and narrated it through Umarah, Asim and Mahmud from Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Rafi' (may Allah be pleased with him).
Imam Abu Ya'la reported it through Kamil bin Talhah from him (Umarah).
Imam al-Tirmidhi narrated it through Isma'il bin Ja'far from Umarah, in which he named the Companion as Sayyiduna Qatadah bin al-Nu'man (may Allah be pleased with him).
Some narrators reported it from Isma'il as mursal and did not mention anyone (any Companion) above Mahmud bin Labid.
Likewise Bishr bin al-Mufaddal also narrated it from Umarah bin Ghaziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O company of the poor and destitute! Shall I not give you glad tidings? Indeed, the poor among the believers will enter Paradise half a day before the wealthy of their class, and that half day is equal to five hundred years."
In the narration of Imam al-Bazzar (may Allah have mercy on him) there is this addition: that the narrator of the hadith, Musa bin Ubaydah, recited this blessed verse on that occasion: "And indeed a day with your Lord is like a thousand years of what you count" [Surah al-Hajj: 47].
Imam al-Bazzar says that, to our knowledge, this narration is reported from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) only through this chain.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The world is green and lush, and most attractive and sweet. So whoever adopts the fear of Allah in it and sets his affairs right (succeeds); otherwise, his likeness is that of one who eats but is never satisfied. And the distance between people (in ranks and degrees) will be like the distance between two stars, one of which is rising in the east and the other setting in the west."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated it in his Musnad; its chain contains a narrator named al-Muthanna bin al-Sabbah, who is da'if (weak).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu al-Darda' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Free yourselves from the worries of the world as much as you are able, for whoever's greatest concern and purpose in life becomes the world, Allah Almighty scatters and disperses his affairs and places his need and poverty before his eyes; and whoever's greatest purpose is the Hereafter, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, gathers (and settles) his scattered affairs and creates sufficiency and independence in his heart. And no servant turns to Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, with his whole heart except that Allah Almighty inclines the hearts of the believers towards him with love and mercy, and Allah Almighty is the quickest of all in bringing every kind of good and benefit to him."
Imam al-Tabarani narrated this hadith in 'al-Mu'jam al-Kabir' (hadith: 611) and Imam al-Bayhaqi in 'Shu'ab al-Iman' (hadith: 3280), but its chain contains a narrator named Muhammad bin Sa'id al-Maslub, who is a liar and a fabricator (one who forges hadith); therefore, in scholarly and research terms, this chain is mawdu' (fabricated), although witnesses for its opening sentences exist in other sahih (authentic) hadith (for example, Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 2465).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever's intention centres on seeking the Hereafter, Allah Almighty turns his distracted state into composure, and the world comes to him (of itself) humbled and abased; and whoever's intention is merely seeking the world, Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, places destitution and poverty before his eyes and scatters and disperses his affairs, while he gets from the world only what has been written in his destiny."
The chain of this hadith contains Yazid bin Aban al-Raqashi, a da'if (weak) narrator; however, because witnesses for it exist in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and Sunan Ibn Majah, this narration is reliable and sound in its meaning.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The best provision is that which suffices (for one's needs), and the best remembrance is that which is hidden (that is, free of showing off and done in secret)."
Imam Ahmad recorded this hadith in Musnad Ahmad, and Allamah al-Albani declared it sahih (authentic).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Two ravenous, hungry wolves let loose in a flock of goats, one of them entering the front of the flock and the other its rear (to ravage it), do not destroy and ruin that flock as quickly as greed for worldly rank and status and for wealth quickly ruins a person's religion."
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith in his Musnad; although Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Aqil in its chain is not free of criticism, its witnesses exist in Jami' al-Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad, on account of which this narration is strengthened.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever seeks the world in an unlawful way with the intention of amassing wealth, boasting and showing off, will meet Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, in a state in which Allah is extremely angry with him; and whoever seeks the world in a lawful way in order to save himself from stretching out his hand in begging before people, to strive to provide for his family, and to show sympathy and kindness to his neighbour, will meet Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, in a state in which his face will shine like the moon on the fourteenth night."
Imam Abu Ya'la also reported a narration like it. This narration is munqati' (broken) between Makhul and Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The word 'La ilaha illa Allah' (there is no god worthy of worship except Allah) holds back the displeasure and wrath of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, as long as people do not prefer their world over their religion. But when they begin to do that (that is, they put religion behind their backs for the sake of the world) and then say 'La ilaha illa Allah', Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says: 'You have lied.'"
Imam Abu Ya'la al-Mawsili narrated this hadith in his Musnad; however, its chain contains a narrator named Umar bin Hamzah al-Umari, on account of whom the hadith scholars have declared it weak.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) (the freed slave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)) that I said: "O Messenger of Allah! How much of the goods of the world is sufficient for me?" So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "As much as satisfies your hunger and covers your body (your private parts); and if you have a house that gives you shade, or a mount available on which you can ride, then how excellent and very fine that is!"
The chain of this hadith contains a narrator named al-Hasan bin Umarah, who is matruk (abandoned), on account of which this narration is weak; see: (Musnad Ahmad: 22394, Shu'ab al-Iman of al-Bayhaqi: 10375).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Umamah al-Bahili (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was sent, the agents of Iblis's army came to him and said: Surely a prophet has been sent and a (great) nation has emerged. Iblis asked: Do they have an inclination and love for the world? They said: Yes. Iblis said: If they are devoted to the world, then I do not care at all that they do not worship idols, for they will never escape my clutches; I will dominate them morning and evening through three things: acquiring wealth wrongfully, spending it in the wrong place, and withholding it from its rightful dues. And all the evil in the universe follows these traits."
Musnad Abi Ya'la: 3287, Majma' al-Zawa'id: 10/248; al-Haythami said: Abu Ya'la and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir recorded it, and the narrators of both are thiqat (trustworthy).