1280 – Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared, “Ruined is the slave of the dinar, the dirham, and the velvet cloak; if he is given, he is satisfied, but if he is not given, he is displeased.” Reported by al-Bukhari (1).

Vocabulary of the ḥadīth
– taʿisa: a verb on the pattern faʿila, meaning ruin, stumbling, falling, decline, drawing near to evil and distancing oneself from good.
– “the slave of the dinar”: i.e., the one whom worldly life has enslaved through his pursuit of it, so that he becomes its servant. The dinar, dirham, and velvet cloak are simply illustrative examples.
– “slave”: al-Ṭībī said, “He mentioned ‘slave’ to signal his total immersion in love of the world and its desires, like a captive who finds no escape.”
– qaṭīfah: a garment with a soft nap; plural: qaṭāʾif and quṭuf.
– uʿṭiya (“is given”) is a passive-voice verb, as is “lam yuʿṭa” (“is not given”). Allah the Exalted says: “If they are given something from it, they are pleased; but if they are not given, behold, they become resentful” (Q 9:58).

Points derived from the ḥadīth

1. Worship is whatever is performed seeking Allah’s countenance and the abode of the Hereafter. Whoever worships for the sake of this world alone, having no other aim or objective, has clung to the world and made it his sole concern and ultimate goal. In doing so he becomes wretched, destroyed, fallen, and submerged on his path; he has no stability unless Allah Most High comes to his aid with sincere repentance.
2. Such a person’s heart and very being are fastened to the world: if he receives something from it he is pleased, praises, and lauds; but if