It was narrated by al-Tirmidhi, who graded it ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ. Al-Tirmidhi and other scholars explained that the phrase “dāna nafsahu” means “he brought his soul to account.”

Explanation: The Prophet’s words “the prudent person (al-kayyas)” refer to one who is resolute, seizes opportunities, and takes precautionary measures so that his days and nights do not slip away in vain. The expression “who takes himself to account” means that he examines his soul, reviewing which obligatory acts he has performed and which reprehensible acts he has avoided: Has he carried out what he was commanded? Has he refrained from what he was forbidden? If he finds that he has been negligent in an obligation, he makes it up if that is still possible and fulfills it or its substitute. If he discovers in himself a violation of a prohibition, he abandons it, feels remorse, repents, and seeks forgiveness.

The phrase “and works for what lies beyond death” signifies working for the Hereafter, for everything after death belongs to the next life. This is true foresight and prudence: a person labors for what comes after death, for he is merely passing through this world, while real wealth is what will remain after death. If he neglects this and allows the days to pass in pursuits that bring no benefit in the Hereafter, he is not prudent. The prudent one, therefore, is he who works for what lies beyond death.

By contrast, the incapable person is he who follows his own whims and cares only for worldly matters: he lets his soul drag him into neglecting the commandments and committing the prohibitions, and then entertains vain hopes about Allah, saying, “Allah is All-Forgiving, All-Merciful. I will repent later. I will set myself right when I grow older,” and similar false hopes with which Satan deludes him, so that perhaps