Mishkat al-Masabih
Mishkat al-Masabih 2474
وَعَنْ مُعَاذٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: " أستعيذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ طَمَعٍ يَهْدِي إِلَى طَبَعٍ) رَوَاهُ أَحْمد وَالْبَيْهَقِيّ فِي الدَّعْوَات الْكَبِير
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Mu‘adh reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “I seek refuge in Allah from covetousness that leads to a corrupt disposition.” Reported by Ahmad and al-Bayhaqi in al-Da‘awat al-Kabir. Graded Da‘if by al-Albani.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic طمع يهدي إلى طبع is a compact rhyming phrase; “a corrupt disposition” conveys one plausible sense of طبع.
طَمَعٍ يَهْدِي إِلَى طَبَعٍ
The rhyme طمع/طبع is concise and the second noun طبع can denote disposition or an ingrained trait; the exact shade is uncertain.
Does this mean greed that leads to a bad disposition or greed that becomes habitual? “A corrupt disposition” is a cautious contextual choice.