Extravagance in Building

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Allah is pleased with you about three things and He is angry with you about three things. He is pleased that you worship Him, not associating anything with Him, that you all take hold of the rope of Allah and that you give good counsel to those that Allah has put in authority over you. He dislikes you engaging in chitchat, asking a lot of questions and squandering wealth."

In commenting on the words of Allah Almighty, "Anything you spend will be replaced by Him. and He is the best of Providers," (34:39) Ibn 'Abbas said, "without extravagance or parsimony."

Abu'l-'Ubaydayn said, "I asked 'Abdullah about those who squander and he said, 'They are those who spend incorrectly.'"

Ibn 'Abbas said that he said that "the squanderers" were those who wasted money incorrectly.

Zayd ibn Aslam reported from his father that 'Umar used to say on the minbar, "O people! Improve your homes but be careful about these house snakes before they make you afraid. Those among them which are Muslim will not be clear to you and, by Allah, we have not made peace with them since the time when we treated them as an enemy."

Khabbab said, "A man is rewarded for everything except building."

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr was heard to say to a nephew of his who had left al-Waht, "Are your workers at work?" "I don't know," he replied. He said, "If you were clever, you would work as your workers work." Then he turned towards us and said, "When a man works with his workers in his house (and Abu 'Asim once said, 'in his property'), he is one of the workers of Allah Almighty."

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Final Hour will not come until people compete with one another in the height of their buildings."

Al-Hasan said, "I used to go into the houses of the wives of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during the khalifate of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, and I could touch their ceilings with my own hand."

Dawud ibn Qays said, "I saw that the rooms were made from the stumps of palm trees covered on the outside with smoothed hair. I think that the width of the house from the door of the room to the door of the house was about six or seven spans. The width of the room inside was ten spans. I think that the ceiling was between seven and eight, or there about. I stopped at the door of 'A'isha, which was facing the west."

'Abdullah ar-Rumi said, "I visited Umm Talq and exclaimed, 'How low the ceiling of your room is!' 'My son,' she replied, 'the Amir al-Mu'minin, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, wrote to his workers telling them: "Do not make your buildings tall. That will come about in the worst of your days."'"

It is reported that Habba ibn Khalid and Sawa' ibn Khalid came to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was repairing a wall - or a building - of his, and they helped him.

Qays ibn Abi Hazm said, "We went to visit Khubbab after he had been cauterised seven times. He said, 'Our Companions who came before us have gone and this world did not cause the, loss. We have been struck by an affliction for which we find no place to put it down except the earth. If it were no that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade us to pray for death, we would pray for it.'"

He continued, "Then we came to him another time while he was building a wall and his and he said, 'The Muslim is rewarded for everything on which he spends money except for what he spends on dust.'

'Abdullah ibn 'Amr said, "The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, went by while I was repairing a hut I owned. He said, 'What is this?' I replied, 'I am mending my hut, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.' He said, 'The business is too swift for that.'"

Nafi' ibn al-Harith reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Part of a man's happiness is a spacious dwelling, a good neighbour, and a good mount."

Thabit reported that he was with Anas in a corner above one of his rooms. He said, "We heard the adhan and he came down and I came down as well. He took short stops and said, 'I was with Zayd ibn Thabit and I walked with him in this fashion. He said, "Do you know why I did it to you? The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, walked in this manner and he said, 'Do you know why I walked with you?' I replied, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'So that there would be a greater number of steps in search of the prayer.'"'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Final Hour will not come until people build houses which are like coloured garments." Ibrahim said: meaning striped clothes.

Warrad, the scribe of al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, said, "Mu'awiya wrote to al-Mughira, saying, 'Write down for me what you heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say.' So he wrote to him, 'The Prophet of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to say at the end of every prayer, "There is no god but Allah alone with no partner. His is the Kingdom and His is the praise and He has power over everything. O Allah, none can withhold what You give nor can anyone give what You withhold. Nor will the wealth of someone with wealth help him against You.' He also write to him, 'He forbade gossip, asking too many questions, and wasting money. He forbade disobeying mothers, burying daughters alive, and he forbade asking people (without real need).'"

Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "None of you will be saved by his actions?" "Not even you, Messenger of Allah?" they asked. "Not even me," he replied, "unless Allah covers me with mercy from Him. But act correctly and wisely and worship in the morning and evening and during part of the night. Keep to a middle path and you will arrive."