88 – The Second Ḥadith: ʿUqbah ibn al-Ḥārith—known as Abū Sarwaʿa (the sīn may be read with either a kasrah or a fatḥah, Allah be pleased with him)—reported: “I prayed the ʿAṣr prayer behind the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in Madinah. After concluding the prayer with the salām, he rose quickly and stepped over the people’s necks until he reached one of the apartments of his wives. The congregation was alarmed by his haste. He soon returned, and when he noticed their astonishment he said, ‘I just remembered a small piece of gold we have, and I disliked that it should occupy me, so I ordered that it be distributed.’” Related by al-Bukhārī.

In another version recorded by al-Bukhārī he said, “I had left some tibr in the house from the charity funds, and I disliked to spend the night while it was still with me.”

Tibr refers to small pieces of gold or silver.

[Commentary]
The author—may Allah have mercy on him—quotes ʿUqbah ibn al-Ḥārith (Allah be pleased with him) as saying that he once prayed the ʿAṣr prayer with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. As soon as the Prophet finished, he rose swiftly, making his way over the people’s necks to one of his wives’ apartments. When he returned and saw that the people were surprised, he explained: “I remembered a piece of gold we had”—that is, something whose distribution was due—“and I disliked that it should detain me, so I ordered it to be distributed.”

This ḥadith demonstrates the importance of hastening to good deeds and not delaying them, for a person never knows when death may surprise him and the opportunity for good be lost. One should be prudent, working for what comes after death without negligence. Just as a person is quick and alert in his worldly affairs, seizing opportunities, the obligation