What is Sunan Ibn Majah 3495 about?

This hadith from Sunan Ibn Majah (Book of Etiquette), narrated by It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:, states: ""If a man were to fill his stomach completely with pus until it destroyed him, that would be better for him than filling (his mind) with poetry.""

Is this hadith authentic?

This hadith is graded Da'if. The grade indicates the level of authenticity based on the chain of narration and content analysis.

Which collection is this hadith from?

This hadith is from Sunan Ibn Majah, which contains 4,345 hadiths across 38 books. It is hadith number 3495 in the Book of Etiquette.

I searched for a different number — is this the right hadith?

Hadith numbering varies across editions and translations (USC-MSA, Dar as-Salam, Fath al-Bari, and others). If you followed a link citing a different number but landed here, you may have been redirected to the canonical version in our library. If you were looking for a different hadith entirely, use the search bar to find it by text.

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#3494

#3495

Sunan Ibn Majah

#3496

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Sunan Ibn Majah #3495

Etiquette

Da'if

The Arabic includes the chain of narration (sanad) and the collector's commentary; the English translation shows the Prophet's words only.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا حَفْصٌ، وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ وَوَكِيعٌ عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏ "‏ لأَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ جَوْفُ الرَّجُلِ قَيْحًا حَتَّى يَرِيَهُ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يَمْتَلِئَ شِعْرًا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ إِلاَّ أَنَّ حَفْصًا لَمْ يَقُلْ يَرِيَهُ ‏.‏

"If a man were to fill his stomach completely with pus until it destroyed him, that would be better for him than filling (his mind) with poetry."

Narrated by It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said:

Context

In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) emphasizes the severity of filling one's mind with poetry compared to physical harm. He suggests that enduring a painful experience is preferable to indulging in frivolous pursuits. This highlights the importance of prioritizing meaningful and beneficial knowledge over trivial distractions.

Modern Application

This hadith encourages us to focus on acquiring beneficial knowledge and engaging in meaningful activities rather than getting lost in distractions. It serves as a reminder to invest our time wisely.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Good Deeds and Eating Etiquette because it contrasts the value of meaningful actions with the triviality of certain pursuits.

Good Deeds Eating Etiquette