❀ The Prophet’s Supplication for ‘Masakeen’ and Seeking Refuge from Poverty – A Reconciliatory Explanation ❀
Taken from: Fatāwā al-Dīn al-Khāliṣ, Vol. 1, p. 181
❖ Question:
The Prophet ﷺ reportedly said:
“O Allah, let me live as a miskīn (humble/poor), let me die as a miskīn, and resurrect me among the masākīn.”
Yet in other narrations, the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from poverty (faqr), such as the duʿāʾ:
“O Allah! I seek refuge in You from disbelief, poverty, and the punishment of the grave.”
How can these two types of supplications be reconciled? And is the first narration authentic?
❖ Answer:
Yes, the first ḥadīth is authentic and has been verified by several renowned hadith scholars.
✿ Authentication of the Ḥadīth
➤ Reported by Imām Tirmidhī (2/60), Ibn Mājah (2/4126), Imām al-Ḍiyāʾ al-Maqdisī in al-Mukhtār, and ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥumayd.
➤ Also mentioned in:
- al-Irwāʾ (ḥadīth 861)
- al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah (1/555, ḥadīth 308)
➤ Narrated through companions such as:
- Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī
- Anas ibn Mālik
- ʿUbādah ibn al-Ṣāmit
- Ibn ʿAbbās (رضي الله عنهم)
✿ Response to Imām Ibn al-Jawzī’s Objection
Imām Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله counted this narration among the fabricated (mawḍūʿ) ahādīth in al-Mawḍūʿāt.
However, his view was rejected by Imām Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī and other hadith scholars, who upheld its authenticity.
✿ Meaning of “Masakeen” in the Prophet’s Supplication
According to Imām al-Bayhaqī رحمه الله:
“The Prophet ﷺ did not mean poverty or destitution by ‘masakeen’. Rather, he referred to humility, modesty, and lowliness.”
(al-Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr, p. 275)
Imām Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله supported this explanation, stating:
“The Prophet ﷺ did not ask for poverty, but for a life of humility, lowliness, and reliance on Allah.”
Other scholars also remarked:
“‘Masakeen’ here means people who possess qualities of humility, simplicity, and detachment from materialism, not literal poverty.”
✿ Meaning of Seeking Refuge from Poverty
It is crucial to understand that poverty itself is not necessarily praiseworthy.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“True wealth is not in having many possessions, but in being content at heart.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 6446, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1051)
Moreover, the Prophet ﷺ also mentioned:
“A poor person who is arrogant (‘ʿā’il mustakbir’)”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 107, Kitāb al-Īmān)
— showing that poverty does not guarantee humility.
Some scholars clarified:
“The Prophet’s ﷺ prayer for masakeen was for detachment from worldly wealth, not for destitution, as excessive wealth often leads people away from spiritual excellence.”
(Mirqāt al-Mafātīḥ 10/11)
✔ Summary of the Ruling
❖ The ḥadīth about living and dying among the masakeen is authentic and well-supported.
❖ The term “masakeen” refers to humility, simplicity, and reliance upon Allah, not literal destitution.
❖ The Prophet’s seeking refuge from poverty was to be protected from the type of poverty that leads to humiliation, disbelief, or religious deviation.
❖ There is no contradiction between the two supplications; rather, they complement each other in meaning and objective.
وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
And Allah knows best what is correct.
