I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while he was standing on the pulpit, saying, "The remaining period of your stay (on the earth) in comparison to the nations before you, is like the period between the `Asr prayer and sunset. The people of the Torah were given the Torah and they acted upon it till midday, and then they were worn out and were given for their labor, one Qirat each. Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel and they acted upon it till the time of the `Asr prayer, and then they were worn out and were given (for their labor), one Qirat each. Then you people were given the Qur'an and you acted upon it till sunset and so you were given two Qirats each (double the reward of the previous nations)." Then the people of the Torah said, 'O our Lord! These people have done a little labor (much less than we) but have taken a greater reward.' Allah said, 'Have I withheld anything from your reward?' They said, 'No.' Then Allah said, 'That is My Favor which I bestow on whom I wish.' "
Oneness, Uniqueness of Allah (Tawheed)
Sahih al-Bukhari 7467
Hadith Commentary
This profound hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari illustrates Allah's divine wisdom in distributing rewards. The Prophet ﷺ compares the duration of previous nations to the final hour before sunset, emphasizing the Ummah's brief temporal existence yet abundant spiritual reward.
The "Qirat" represents a measure of divine reward. While earlier communities labored longer under their respective revelations, the Muslim Ummah receives double recompense for their shorter period of observance—demonstrating Allah's boundless generosity (Tawheed al-Rububiyyah).
Allah's response "Have I withheld anything from your reward?" affirms divine justice while "That is My Favor which I bestow on whom I wish" establishes Allah's absolute sovereignty in granting blessings—a fundamental aspect of Islamic monotheism.
This narration teaches contentment with divine decree and rejects questioning Allah's distribution of favors, as He alone possesses perfect wisdom in His apportionment of rewards and trials.