Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 2742
sahih

Narrated Sa`d bin Abu Waqqas:

The Prophet (ﷺ) came visiting me while I was (sick) in Mecca, ('Amir the sub-narrator said, and he disliked to die in the land, whence he had already migrated). He (i.e. the Prophet) said, "May Allah bestow His Mercy on Ibn Afra (Sa`d bin Khaula)." I said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ! May I will all my property (in charity)?" He said, "No." I said, "Then may I will half of it?" He said, "No". I said, "One third?" He said: "Yes, one third, yet even one third is too much. It is better for you to leave your inheritors wealthy than to leave them poor begging others, and whatever you spend for Allah's sake will be considered as a charitable deed even the handful of food you put in your wife's mouth. Allah may lengthen your age so that some people may benefit by you, and some others be harmed by you." At that time Sa`d had only one daughter.

حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو نُعَيْمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، عَنْ عَامِرِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ جَاءَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَعُودُنِي وَأَنَا بِمَكَّةَ، وَهْوَ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَمُوتَ بِالأَرْضِ الَّتِي هَاجَرَ مِنْهَا قَالَ ‏"‏ يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ ابْنَ عَفْرَاءَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، أُوصِي بِمَالِي كُلِّهِ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ فَالشَّطْرُ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْتُ الثُّلُثُ‏.‏ قَالَ ‏"‏ فَالثُّلُثُ، وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ، إِنَّكَ أَنْ تَدَعَ وَرَثَتَكَ أَغْنِيَاءَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ تَدَعَهُمْ عَالَةً يَتَكَفَّفُونَ النَّاسَ فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ، وَإِنَّكَ مَهْمَا أَنْفَقْتَ مِنْ نَفَقَةٍ فَإِنَّهَا صَدَقَةٌ، حَتَّى اللُّقْمَةُ الَّتِي تَرْفَعُهَا إِلَى فِي امْرَأَتِكَ، وَعَسَى اللَّهُ أَنْ يَرْفَعَكَ فَيَنْتَفِعَ بِكَ نَاسٌ وَيُضَرَّ بِكَ آخَرُونَ ‏"‏‏.‏ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ يَوْمَئِذٍ إِلاَّ ابْنَةٌ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 55, Hadith 5
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 4, Book 51, Hadith 5 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Islam delineated the provisions of the Wasiyyah (i.e., last will and testament) and bequests and clarified what is permissible and impermissible in this regard. In this hadeeth, Sa‘d ibn Abee Waqqaas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet ﷺvisited him when he was (sick) in Makkah in 10 A.H., during the Farewell Hajj, according to the version of the hadeeth reported by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim. Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) disliked to die in Makkah, his homeland, since he had already migrated from it. This was explicitly stated in the version recorded in Saheeh Muslim reading: “I am afraid I may die in the land from where I migrated (as Sa‘d ibn Khawlah had died).” Thereupon, the Prophet ﷺ said, "May Allah bestow His mercy on Ibn ‘Afraa’ (i.e., Sa‘d ibn Khawlah),” who had died in Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ disliked that any of the emigrants should return to Makkah or reside therein any longer after performing Hajj or ‘Umrah. Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Allah's Messengerﷺ, “May I will all my property to be given in charity?” He (may Allah be pleased with him) wanted to bequest all his wealth to be given in charity after his death, but the Prophet ﷺ forbade him from doing so. He (may Allah be pleased with him) further asked whether it was allowable for him to bequest half of his wealth to be given in charity, but the Prophet ﷺ also forbade him from doing so. He (may Allah be pleased with him) asked whether he might bequest one-third of his wealth, and the Prophet ﷺ said: "Yes, one third, yet even one third is too much.” The Prophet ﷺ was urging Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) to bequest less than the third of his wealth to be given in charity after his death, and then clarified for him that it was better to leave his inheritors rich, by leaving them wealth to inherit, rather than leaving them poor, begging others for money. He ﷺ also informed Sa‘d that were he to survive his illness, what he (may Allah be pleased with him)has spent for the Sake of Allah (i.e., his bequest) would count as an act of charity; he (may Allah be pleased with him) would earn the designated reward whether he lived or died. He ﷺ then explained that a person earns a reward for even the handful of food he puts in his wife's mouth. The Prophet ﷺ wanted to highlight the diversity and numerosity of the acts of charity for which the giver earns rewards, because one’s wife is his closest companion and the lawful outlet for his sexual and emotional desires. Afterward, the Prophet ﷺ supplicated Allah, Exalted is He, in his favor, saying: “May Allah bless your lifespan so that some people may benefit from you,” meaning benefit from the spoils of war that Muslims would gain thanks to his effort in Jihaad and conquering non-Muslim lands, “and some others may be harmed by you,” meaning the disbelievers who shall be killed at his hand on the battlefield. The narrator underlined that during that time, Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) had only one daughter. This means that she (may Allah be pleased with her) was his only child or female member of his family entitled to inherit him, for Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him) had paternal relatives who were entitled to inherit him, because he (may Allah be pleased with him) belonged to Banee Zahrah that was a large clan. It was also said that she (may Allah be pleased with her) was the only heir who was entitled to a fixed share of his estate as per the laws of Islam, or that he named her in particular because she was the only heir from his dependents for whom he would have feared loss and poverty. It may also mean that he thought that she would inherit his whole estate, or believed that half of his wealth was too much for her alone. The reference in the hadeeth to Ibn ‘Afraa’(may Allah be pleased with him)was a mistake by one of the narrators and should have been ‘Ibn Khawlah’ instead. It was also said that Ibn ‘Afraa’ was a nickname or another name for his mother. It is deduced from the hadeeth that the heirs are more entitled and deserving of the deceased’s wealth than all other people. It is also inferred that spending on one’s family counts as a good deed. It is also deduced therefrom that when permissible acts are performed merely for the Sake of Allah, Exalted is He, they count as rewardable acts of worship. The hadeeth also highlights a sign of his prophethood; he ﷺ foretold what happened to Sa‘d (may Allah be pleased with him). According to the Prophet’s prophecy, he (may Allah be pleased with him) lived for years after the Farewell Hajj, some people benefited from him, and others were harmed by him. The hadeeth also urges checking upon the sick people. It also underlines the Companions’ keenness to perform good deeds. It encourages Muslims to hasten to write their Wasiyyah upon noticing the signs of death, such as sickness and the like. It is also inferred from the hadeeth that one may only make a bequest of a third of one’s wealth or less. .
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