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- ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥārith, the brother of the Mother of the Believers Juwayriyyah (may Allah be pleased with her), said: “When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) passed away he left neither a dirham nor a dinar, neither a male slave nor a female slave, nor anything else, except his white mule, his weapons, and a tract of land that he had turned into charity.” Narrated by al-Bukhārī (1).
Vocabulary
– “His white mule”: A mule is the offspring of a mare and a donkey. This particular mule had been presented to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) by al-Muqawqis, the ruler of Alexandria.
– “Charity”: This refers to his land in the village of Fadak.
Points derived from the ḥadith
- The ḥadith is among the clearest proofs of the Prophet’s renunciation of this perishing world in favour of the everlasting Abode, and of how little he took from worldly goods. Reports attesting to this trait are many and well known—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. Ever before his eyes was the verse, “Say: The enjoyment of this world is brief, whereas the Hereafter is better for whoever is mindful of Allah, and you will not be wronged even as much as a thread in a date-stone” (Qur’an 4:77); thus his character was the Qur’an itself.
- The ḥadith shows that he died leaving behind no dirham, no dinar, no male or female slave, and no worldly possession. All he left were a few items of equipment for striving in Allah’s path—his mule, his weapons, and land that he designated as charity, for he said: “We prophets are not inherited from; whatever we leave behind is charity.” Reported by al-Bukhārī (3092) and Muslim (1758).
- The legal relevance of the ḥadith is that it confirms both the legitimacy of slavery and of emancipation in Islam: the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) owned slaves, yet he set them free.
(1) Al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 2739.
١٢٤٦ - وَعَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ الحَارِثِ أَخِي جُوَيْرِيَةَ أُمِّ المُؤْمِنِينَ ﵄ قَالَ: "مَا تَرَكَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عنْدَ مَوْتهِ دِرْهَمًا، وَلاَ دِينَارًا، وَلاَ عَبْدًا، وَلاَ أَمَةً، وَلاَ شَيْئًا، إِلاَّ بَغْلَتَهُ الْبَيْضَاءَ، وَسِلاَحَهُ، وَأَرْضًا جَعَلَهَا صَدَقَةً" رَوَاهُ البُخَارِيُّ (١).
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* مفردات الحديث:
- بَغْلَتَهُ البيضاء: البغل: حيوان، أمه فرس، وأبوه حمار، فهو متولِّد منهما، وهي البغلة التي أهداها المقوقس صاحب الإسكندرية للنَّبي ﷺ.
- صَدَقة: هي أرضه ﷺ في قرية فدك.
* ما يؤخذ من الحديث:
١ - هذا الحديث من أدلَّة ما عليه النَّبي ﷺ من إعراضه عن الدنيا الفانية إلى الدَّار الباقية، وتقلُّله منها، وشمائله في هذا الباب كثيرة، وأخباره مشهورة، صلوات الله وسلامه عليه، فإن مثل قوله تعالى: ﴿قُلْ مَتَاعُ الدُّنْيَا قَلِيلٌ وَالْآخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ لِمَنِ اتَّقَى وَلَا تُظْلَمُونَ فَتِيلًا﴾ [النساء] نصب عينيه؛ فكان ﷺ خُلُقه القرآن.
٢ - فالحديث يبين أنَّه ﷺ توفيَ ولم يخلِّف عند موته درهمًا، ولا دينارًا، ولا عبدًا، ولا أمة، ولا شيئًا.
وإنَّما الَّذي ترك هو شيء من عدة سلاحه للجهاد في سبيله، وهو بغلتُهُ، وسلاحُهُ، وأرضٌ جعلها بعده صدقة؛ لأَنَّه ﷺ قال: "لا نُوْرَثُ، ما تركناه فهو صدقة" [رواه البخاري (٣٠٩٢) ومسلم (١٧٥٨)].
٣ - الشَّاهد من الحديث إثبات الرق في الإسلام، وإثبات العتق أيضًا؛ فإنَّ النَّبي ﷺ ملك رقيقًا؛ ولكنَّه أعتقه.
(١) البخاري (٢٧٣٩).