Sunan Ibn Majah #3910

Zuhd

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

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى، عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ زَيْدٍ، عَنْ أَوْسِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏"‏ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَجْلِسُ يَسْمَعُ الْحِكْمَةَ ثُمَّ لاَ يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ صَاحِبِهِ إِلاَّ بِشَرِّ مَا يَسْمَعُ كَمَثَلِ رَجُلٍ أَتَى رَاعِيًا فَقَالَ يَا رَاعِي أَجْزِرْنِي شَاةً مِنْ غَنَمِكَ ‏.‏ قَالَ اذْهَبْ فَخُذْ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا ‏.‏ فَذَهَبَ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِ كَلْبِ الْغَنَمِ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ حَدَّثَنَاهُ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، فَذَكَرَ نَحْوَهُ وَقَالَ فِيهِ ‏"‏ بِأُذُنِ خَيْرِهَا شَاةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏
“The likeness of the one who sits and listen to wisdom then only speaks of the bad things that he had heard, is that of a man who comes to a shepherd and says: “O shepherd, give me one of your sheep to slaughter,” and (the shepherd) says: “Go and grab the ear of the best of them.” Then he goes and grabs the ear of the sheepdog.’” Another chain reports a similar hadith.
Narrated by It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

Context

In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) uses a metaphor to illustrate the importance of sharing wisdom responsibly. He compares a person who hears wisdom but only shares negative aspects to a man who mistakenly takes the ear of a sheepdog instead of the best sheep. This highlights the significance of conveying knowledge accurately and positively, as well as the consequences of spreading negativity.

Modern Application

In today's world, this principle emphasizes the need to share constructive feedback and positive insights rather than focusing solely on the negative. Whether in personal relationships or professional settings, promoting a culture of positivity can lead to better communication and understanding among individuals.

Topics

This hadith is tagged with Good Deeds and Respectful Communication because it encourages the sharing of wisdom in a positive manner and discourages the spread of negativity.

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And among them are those who abuse the Prophet and say, "He is an ear." Say, "[It is] an ear of goodness for you that believes in Allah and believes the believers and [is] a mercy to those who believe among you." And those who abuse the Messenger of Allah - for them is a painful punishment.
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The example of those who disbelieve is like that of one who shouts at what hears nothing but calls and cries cattle or sheep - deaf, dumb and blind, so they do not understand.
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وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يَشْتَرِى لَهْوَ ٱلْحَدِيثِ لِيُضِلَّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍۢ وَيَتَّخِذَهَا هُزُوًا ۚ أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌۭ مُّهِينٌۭ
And of the people is he who buys the amusement of speech to mislead [others] from the way of Allah without knowledge and who takes it in ridicule. Those will have a humiliating punishment.
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Who listen to speech and follow the best of it. Those are the ones Allah has guided, and those are people of understanding.
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وَلَا تَكُونُوا۟ كَٱلَّذِينَ قَالُوا۟ سَمِعْنَا وَهُمْ لَا يَسْمَعُونَ
And do not be like those who say, "We have heard," while they do not hear.

Common Words

83 total71 unique8 repeated
ٱلذين4x
ٱلله3x
لا3x
يؤذون2x
أذن2x
لهم2x
عذاب2x
أولئك2x
ومنهم1x
ٱلنبى1x
ويقولون1x
هو1x
قل1x
خير1x
لكم1x
يؤمن1x
بٱلله1x
ويؤمن1x
للمؤمنين1x
ورحمة1x
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About Sunan Ibn Majah

This hadith is #3910 from Sunan Ibn Majah, in the Book of Zuhd and narrated by It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:.

About This Hadith