Destruction Caused by Oppression and Miserliness, and Its Cure
Derived from: Sharḥ Kitāb al-Jāmiʿ min Bulūgh al-Marām by Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī | Translation: Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Salām Bhattvī
Hadith and Reference
عن جابر رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم: اتقوا الظلم فإن الظلم ظلمات يوم القيامة، واتقوا الشح فإن الشح أهلك من كان قبلكم.
[Narrated by Muslim – Kitāb al-Birr waṣ-Ṣilah 56]
Jābir (رضي الله عنه) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Beware of oppression, for oppression will be darkness upon darkness on the Day of Judgment. And beware of miserly greed (shuhh), for it destroyed those who came before you.”
In another narration from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, the Prophet (ﷺ) added:
“…It led them to shed one another’s blood and to violate each other’s sanctities.”
Key Lessons and Reflections
❶ Definition of شُحّ (Shuhh):
This refers to intense greed combined with miserliness, which becomes a part of a person’s nature. It’s worse than ordinary stinginess due to its insatiable desire to possess and withhold.
❷ Consequences of Shuhh in Earlier Nations:
Shuhh incited people to:
- Seize others’ wealth and rights unjustly
- Commit violence and bloodshed
- Legalize the unlawful (ḥarām)
The result was widespread corruption, disregard for halal/ḥarām, and both worldly and eternal destruction.
Condemnation in the Qur’ān
Allah ﷻ denounces miserliness and greed in multiple verses:
◈ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ
[Al-Ḥashr: 9]
“Whoever is protected from the greed of his own soul—such are the successful.”
◈ وَمَن يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِ
[Muhammad: 38]
“And whoever is miserly, he is miserly only against himself.”
◈ وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ يَبْخَلُونَ… سَيُطَوَّقُونَ مَا بَخِلُوا بِهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
[Āl ʿImrān: 180]
“Those who withhold what Allah has given them… it will be hung around their necks on the Day of Resurrection.”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The worst trait in a man is consuming greed and paralyzing cowardice.”
[Abū Dāwūd 2511 | Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Dāwūd 2192]
Prophetic Duʿā’ Against Miserliness
The Prophet ﷺ would regularly say after prayer:
اللهم إني أعوذ بك من الجبن، وأعوذ بك من البخل…
“O Allah, I seek refuge in You from cowardice, and I seek refuge in You from miserliness…”
[Bukhārī 6374 – from Saʿd رضي الله عنه]
Clarifying the Concept of Miserliness
Some people view themselves as generous while calling others miserly. The true measure lies in Shariah obligations and moral expectations.
According to Subul as-Salām:
- True generosity is fulfilling what Allah has made obligatory, such as zakāh and spending on dependents.
- A person who neglects either religious obligations or honorable moral duties (like fulfilling promises or expected help) is considered miserly.
- One who discharges his duties happily and avoids petty dealings is truly generous.
Root Causes of Miserliness
❶ Love of Desires:
When fulfilling desires requires wealth, the person becomes possessive and greedy.
❷ Love of Wealth for Its Own Sake:
The individual no longer sees wealth as a means, but as a goal itself—forgetting the needs it was supposed to fulfill. Wealth becomes a false idol. Such a person, who hoards wealth without using it, is like someone who owns gold or rocks—equally useless.
Cure for Oppression and Miserliness
❶ Be content with what Allah has given:
Practice qanaʿah (contentment), and rely upon Allah’s decree.
❷ Frequently remember death:
Reflect on those who spent their lives accumulating wealth but gained no benefit from it.
❸ Trust in Allah for children’s sustenance:
Many hoard wealth for their children. But who sustains them? Allah. Look at how some people become prosperous even when their parents leave them nothing. Trust in the Rabb of Rizq, not the bank account.
❹ Reflect on verses and examples:
- Meditate on Qur’ānic warnings against miserliness.
- Study the lives of the Prophet ﷺ, the Companions, and righteous people.
- Remember the consequences of miserliness: hoarded wealth brings trials and afflictions.
True Generosity Lies in Balance
Islam encourages generosity, but within moderation:
وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يُقْتُرُوا…
[Al-Furqān: 67]
“And those who, when they spend, are neither wasteful nor stingy but choose a middle way between them.”
Summary of Actionable Points
✔ Oppression leads to darkness in the Hereafter—abstain from it entirely.
✔ Greedy miserliness (shuhh) leads to the collapse of morals and societies—combat it with contentment and remembrance of death.
✔ True generosity is fulfilling obligatory rights and maintaining honor and dignity in dealings.
✔ Regularly make duʿā’ for protection against these traits.
✔ Reflect on Qur’ān, Sunnah, and the lives of the righteous as role models.
✔ Adopt balanced spending habits, avoiding both extravagance and stinginess.
