You are not satisfied with anything

12-10-2017 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, was speaking about the people of Paradise one day while a Bedouin was present. He described how a man of the people of Paradise will ask his Lord’s permission to grow some plants. Allah will ask him, "Do you not already have all that you want?" He will say, "Yes, but I like to grow things." So he will go and plant his seeds, and within the blinking of an eye, they will grow, ripen, be harvested, and be piled up like mountains. Allah will say, "Here you are, O son of Adam, nothing makes you satisfied!" The Bedouin said, "O Messenger of Allah, you will find that he is either from Quraysh or the Ansaar, for they are the ones who like to grow things; we do not like to grow anything!" The Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, smiled broadly. (Reported by Al-Bukhaari, 6965) How did the Hadith scholars explain Allah, the Exalted's, saying "Nothing makes you satisfied"?

Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

The hadeeth, as you mentioned, was reported by Al-Bukhaari, and he entitled it: Chapter: The Lord Speaking to the People of Paradise.

Ibn Hajar said, "What is meant by the saying 'nothing makes you satisfied' is the human being and his innate nature, as he always asks for more, except those whom Allah wills."

Ibn Battaal said in his commentary on Saheeh Al-Bukhaari, "His saying 'nothing makes you satisfied' is dispraise of not being content with what he had and asking for more; i.e. your eyes and self are not satisfied with anything."

However, Ibn Hubayrah said in Al-Ifsaah, "The saying of Allah Almighty 'Here you are, O son of Adam, nothing makes you satisfied!'; the way I understand it is like teaching him to not be satisfied, and what is meant is that he should not be satisfied with the favor (of Allah) and should not stop asking for more, and it does not mean, as people may have understood it, rebuking him for asking for more."

Allah knows best.

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