It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Allah the Exalted will not speak to three persons, nor look at them, nor purify them; and for them is a painful torment:
One of them is a traveler who has more than enough water but withholds it from other travelers.
Another is one who sells merchandise in the late afternoon and swears that he bought it for so much when that is not the case, and the customer believes him.
The third is one who gives his pledge to a ruler for worldly gain, fulfilling his promise if they give him money, and breaking it if they do not.”
Buhârî, Müsâkât 10, Şehâdât 22, Ahkâm 48, Tevhîd 24; Müslim,
The Narrator
Îmân 171-173. Also see Abu Dâwûd, Büyû’ 60; Tirmizî, Siyer 35; Nesâî, Büyû’ 6; Ibni Mâce, Ticârât 30, Cihâd 42.
Explanation
Our hadith speaks of three unfortunate people. Their misfortune stems from:
* Allah the Exalted will not give them value on the Day of Resurrection, nor speak to them in a gentle tone showing His pleasure with them, and perhaps not even look at them.
* He will not look at their faces with mercy.
* He will not purify them from sin, nor mention their good deeds.
* He will subject them to a painful torment.
A believer’s true goal in this world is to please Allah the Exalted, gain His pleasure, obtain His mercy, have his sins forgiven through His generous grace and attain Paradise and the sight of Allah – or, another way of putting it, escape the painful torment of Hell. This should never be forgotten.
These statements of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) are taken from the following verse: “But those who exchange their covenant for a small price, they will have no share in the Hereafter. Allah will not speak to them, nor will He look at them, nor will He purify them [Âl-i ‘Imrân (3), 77].”
The first of these unfortunate people is one who, while traveling (or in the countryside), has more water than he needs and withholds it from other travelers. The reason for his misfortune is that he withholds from others a blessing that Allah has generously given to him without restriction. Such a state indicates that this person is extremely stingy, and moreover, self-centered – qualities that Allah detests. For this reason, on the Day of Resurrection, He will say to him: ‘Since you withheld water in excess of your need from My servant, I too withhold My mercy from you.’
The second unfortunate person is one who does not hesitate to deceive people in order to gain worldly wealth instead of the Hereafter. This person sells his merchandise in the late afternoon, when evening approaches, the market is about to end, and everyone is hurrying to meet their needs, swearing that he bought this commodity for so much or that they gave him so much money but did not sell it, trying to deceive customers, and ultimately succeeding in deceiving innocent people. He deserves Allah’s wrath with these actions; he cannot gain His mercy and pleasure.
The third bad person is a self-serving individual who uses state administration like an important matter for his own benefit. This ugly behavior often comes up when elections are discussed in our country. It is known that some candidates have obtained voters for certain benefits. Since the election of members of parliament, municipal elections, and other important events directly concern the nation, religion, and state, personal gain should never be considered in these matters; one must act solely for the sake of Allah. Living a humane and Muslim life depends on making accurate choices in these elections and entrusting the work to qualified people. Those who prioritize their own interests in such an important matter deserve that Allah the Exalted will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, will not look at their faces, and ultimately subject them to painful torment.
What We Learned from Hadith
- Allah the Exalted will not give value to some people on the Day of Resurrection, nor will He speak to them, nor even look at their faces, and as a natural consequence, they will be subjected to a painful torment. This hadith mentions three of them.
- One of them is a person who withholds water in excess of his need from other travelers during a journey.
- Another is a person who swears falsely to customers while selling merchandise in the late afternoon, trying to deceive them by saying that he bought it for so much.
- The third is one who will give his pledge to a ruler for worldly gain.