He therefore forbade idle talk and speech that yields no benefit, the wasting of wealth—which Allah has made a means of subsistence for people—on pursuits that bring neither religious nor worldly gain, and excessive requests for aid from others by anyone who already possesses enough to meet his needs. He likewise prohibited obstinacy and contentious debate in scholarly matters.
He also forbade disobedience to mothers, for they are entitled to dutifulness and honour because of their immense merit. In the same way, he outlawed the vile custom of burying infant girls alive—born of mistrust in Allah the Exalted and fear of poverty should the girls share in their family’s food. Such a practice bespeaks only hardness of heart, miserliness, and a lack of reliance on Allah, the Provider for all creation.
Moreover, he forbade avarice: withholding one’s wealth from avenues of good, being fiercely intent on accumulating money, and seeking it through any and every means.
Lessons derived from the ḥadith
1 – The recommendation to recite this supplication after the obligatory prayers.
2 – The supplication embodies pure monotheism: it negates any partner alongside Allah, affirms His absolute sovereignty, complete praise and perfect power, and singles Him out as the sole Disposer and Subjugator of all things. Thus it combines the oneness of divinity, lordship, and names and attributes.
3 – The hadith prohibits these blameworthy traits because they entail religious and worldly harms.
4 – When a believer realises that Allah alone is the Giver and the Withholder, his heart clings wholly to Allah and ceases to look elsewhere.
5 – The Companions’ eagerness—may Allah be pleased with them—to implement the Prophet’s sunnah: when Muʿāwiyah heard of this supplication, he ordered the people to practise it.
6 – It illustrates acting upon recognised personal benefit (ḥaẓẓ maʿrūf), a matter agreed upon in every objective, and that Allah only commands a deed so that it be carried out.
7 – The validity of accepting a solitary-chain report (khabar al-wāḥid).
8 – The prohibition of squandering wealth, that is, spending it in ways not sanctioned by the Sharia. Allah has placed wealth in human hands to secure their interests, and wastefulness destroys those interests. Spending falls into three categories:
• blameworthy spending: disbursing money on matters condemned by the Sharia, whether the amount is small or large;
• praiseworthy spending: spending in avenues of goodness and piety, provided it does not compromise a more important right; and
• spending on lawful personal enjoyments: this is permissible, and each person may spend according to his means so long as he avoids extravagance.