The final counsel of Qays bin Asim (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is narrated from Abd al-Malik bin Abi Sawiyyah al-Minqari that he said: I was present with Sayyiduna Qays bin Asim (may Allah be pleased with him) at the time of his death when he made his will. He gathered his sons, who were thirty-two (32) males, and then said: "O my sons! When I die, make the eldest among you your chief so that you remain in the footsteps of your forefathers, and do not make the youngest among you chief, for that will lower your standing among your peers. Do not appoint wailing women (professional mourners) over me, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbid wailing. It is incumbent upon you to put your wealth in good order, for it is a means of raising the esteem of the honourable man, and through it one becomes independent of mean people. Do not give away your camels other than for their due (charity, zakah and the like), nor withhold them from their due. Beware of every bad family and lineage, for whatever pleases you one day will grieve you more than that. Be wary of the sons of your enemies, for they are your enemies, following in the footsteps of their fathers. And when I die, bury me in a place that this tribe of Bakr bin Wa'il will not come to know of, for in the Jahiliyyah there were bloodsheds (enmities) between me and them, and I fear that they will dig up my grave, whereupon you would ruin their worldly life and they would spoil your Hereafter." Then he called for his quiver and ordered his eldest son, whose name was Ali, to take out one arrow from his quiver. He took it out, and he said: "Break it." He broke it. Then he said: "Take out two arrows." He took them out, and he said: "Break them." He broke them too. Then he said: "Take out three arrows." He took them out, and he said: "Break them." He broke them too. Then he said: "Take out thirty (30) arrows." He took them out, and he said: "Bind them with a bowstring." He bound them. Then he said: "Now break them," and he could not break them. Then he said: "O my sons! When you stay together you are like this, and if you separate you are like that (weak)." Then he recited these verses: "True glory is that which a truthful father built and whose deeds his offspring kept alive; and glory, bravery and forbearance are sufficient, provided that chastity and generosity adorn them. O my sons! When thirty (men) are bound by mutual covenants against the calamities of time, they are like those thirty arrows that have been bound firmly against the hardships of time; they never scatter. But if the arrows become separated, their scattering destroys the whole group. Those of mature age and noble character are the most entitled to lead you, and it is incumbent upon them to protect the younger ones until even the youngest among them, with his utmost effort, reaches the age of discernment (maturity)."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Qays bin Asim al-Minqari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and when he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw me, I heard him (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "This is the chief of the desert-dwellers (the people of the tents)." When I dismounted from my mount and came to him (peace and blessings be upon him), I began to talk with him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah! What is the wealth for which no burden or liability will fall on me on account of guests and a large family? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Forty camels are the best wealth, and sixty at the most. Woe to the owners of hundreds of camels, except the one who gives of their milk (in charity), helps with them in times of hardship, lends out their backs for riding, and feeds the qani' (the contented needy person) and the mu'tarr (the one who presents himself asking)." I said: O Prophet of Allah! How noble and beautiful these manners are! O Prophet of Allah! In the valley where I live, no room is left (for anyone else to settle) because of the great number of my camels. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Then what do you do?" I said: My camels go out to graze and the people also reach there; whoever wishes takes hold of the head of a camel and takes it away. He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "What do you do about lending out their backs?" I said: I do not lend out the young ones or the old she-camel for riding (so that they are not burdened). He (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Is your own wealth dearer to you, or the wealth of your heirs?" I said: My own wealth is dearer to me than the wealth of my heirs. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Your share of your wealth is only what you have eaten and finished, or worn and made old, or given in the way of Allah and so preserved (for the Hereafter); whatever is besides that belongs to your heirs." I said: By Allah! If I remain alive, I will exhaust the number of these camels (by spending them in the way of Allah). Imam al-Hasan al-Basri says: By Allah! He did just that. Then, when the time of Qays's death drew near, he gave his sons a parting counsel, saying: "Beware of begging (asking from people), for it is the worst earning of a person, and whoever takes the path of asking abandons the earnings of his own labour."