—the very last morsel you scraped from the bowl.

This ḥadīth highlights the Prophet’s ﷺ excellent pedagogical style: whenever he stated a ruling, he coupled it with the reason behind it. Linking the wisdom to the ruling yields two great benefits.

First, it demonstrates the loftiness of the Sharīʿah and that it is founded upon real interests: there is nothing that Allah and His Messenger ﷺ command except that human welfare lies in putting it into practice, and nothing they forbid except that welfare lies in leaving it alone.

Second, it brings the soul greater tranquillity. A person may already have faith and submission to what Allah and His Messenger decree, yet when the underlying wisdom is mentioned his faith and certainty grow, and he becomes more eager to carry out the command or avoid the prohibition.

The author then cites the ḥadīth of Anas ibn Mālik, may Allah be pleased with him, about the Bedouin who arrived with a qaʿūd—a young she-camel or young camel in general. The Prophet’s ﷺ own she-camel was al-ʿAḍbāʾ, distinct from al-Qaṣwāʾ on which he performed ḥajj; it was his practice to give names to his mounts, weapons, and similar possessions.

The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, believed that al-ʿAḍbāʾ could not be overtaken—or hardly ever could. Then the Bedouin’s young camel outstripped al-ʿAḍbāʾ, and this seemed to upset them. Sensing what was in their hearts, the Prophet ﷺ said, “It is a right upon Allah that nothing rises in this world except that He will bring it down.”

Thus every rise in this world is destined eventually to end in a fall,