949 — “Whoever makes the Hereafter his chief concern, Allah will place sufficiency in his heart, unite his affairs for him, and worldly life will come to him unwillingly. But whoever makes worldly life his chief concern, Allah will place poverty before his eyes, scatter his affairs, and he will receive from worldly life only what has been decreed for him.”

Al-Tirmidhi (2/76) narrated it from al-Rabi‘ ibn Subayh, from Yazid ibn Aban—namely, al-Raqashi—from Anas, attributed to the Prophet. Al-Tirmidhi made no comment on it. Its chain of transmission is weak, but it is acceptable for corroborative reports. Al-Mundhiri (4/82) said: “Al-Tirmidhi narrated it from Yazid al-Raqashi, from him. He has been declared trustworthy, and there is no harm in using him for corroborative reports.”

I say: It has also been reported in a more complete wording: “Whoever makes worldly life his concern and preoccupation, directs himself toward it and intends it, Allah will place poverty before his eyes, scatter his affairs, and he will receive from it only what has been written for him. But whoever makes the Hereafter his concern and preoccupation, directs himself toward it and intends it, Allah will place sufficiency in his heart, unite his affairs, and worldly life will come to him humbled.” Al-Mundhiri (3/9) said: “Al-Bazzar and al-Tabarani narrated it—the wording is al-Tabarani’s—as did Ibn Hibban in his Sahih, from Anas.”

I say: Perhaps these scholars, or some of them—especially Ibn Hibban—narrated it by a route other than the aforementioned route of al-Raqashi. And Allah knows best. Ibn ‘Adi also narrated it in al-Kamil (folios 8/2 and 129/1), through the route of Isma‘il ibn Muslim, from al-Hasan and Qatadah, and through the route of Dawud ibn al-Muhabbir: Hammad narrated to us from Qatadah; both from Anas, with this wording. Then I found it in Zawa’id al-Bazzar (p. 322) via