Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad 208
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ قَالَ: حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلاَلٍ، عَنْ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: الْعَبْدُ الْمُسْلِمُ إِذَا أَدَّى حَقَّ اللهِ وَحَقَّ سَيِّدِهِ، لَهُ أَجْرَانِ، وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ بِيَدِهِ، لَوْلاَ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، وَالْحَجُّ، وَبِرُّ أُمِّي، لَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَمُوتَ مَمْلُوكًا.
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Isma‘il narrated to us. He said: Sulayman ibn Bilal narrated to me, from Yunus, from al-Zuhri, from Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayra, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘When a Muslim servant fulfills Allah’s due and his master’s due, he receives a double reward.’ Abu Hurayra swore by the One in whose hand his soul is and said: ‘Were it not for striving in the way of Allah, pilgrimage, and dutifulness to my mother, I would have loved to die as a person under authority.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The closing statement is Abu Hurayra’s own oath and wish, following the prophetic report. The Arabic says ‘I would have loved to die as a mamluk’; the translation keeps this historical status term in contextual English.
لَوْلاَ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ، وَالْحَجُّ، وَبِرُّ أُمِّي، لَأَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَمُوتَ مَمْلُوكًا.
The source states this striking wish but does not explain the reason for the contrast with the three obligations named.
Should a later editor add a separately sourced contextual note, while retaining the statement as translated?