"O Shaikh, tell me of a Hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)." (He said: "Yes; I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)) say: 'The first of people for whom judgment will be passed on the Day of Resurrection are three. A man who was martyred. He will be brought and Allah will remind him of His blessings and he will acknowledge them. He will say: What did you do with them? He will say: I fought for Your sake until I was martyred. He will say: You are lying. You fought so that it would be said that so-and-so is brave, and it was said. Then He will order that he be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire. And (the second will be) a man who acquired knowledge and taught others,and read Qur'an. He will be brought, and Allah will remind him of His blessings, and he will acknowledge them. He will say: What did you do with them? He will say: I acquired knowledge and taught others, and read the Qur'an for Your sake. He will say: You are lying. You acquired knowledge so that it would be said that you were a scholar; and you read Qur'an so that it would be said that you were a reciter, and it was said. Then He will order that he be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire. And (the third will be) a man whom Allah made rich and gave him all kinds of wealth. He will be brought and Allah will remind him of His blessings, and he will acknowledge them. he will say: What did you do with them? He will say: I did not leave any way that You like wealth to be spent - Abu 'Abdur-Rahman (An-Nasa'i) said: I did not understand "what You like" as I wanted to [1] - "but I spent it." He will say: "You are lying. You spent it so that it would be said that he was generous, and it was said." Then he will order that he be dragged on his face and thrown into the Fire.'"[1] That is, he did not hear or understand what came after it as well as he wanted to, but it was similar to what follows regarding the spending. Similar was stated by Shaikh 'Abdur-Rahman Al-punjani in his notes on the text, according to Al-Funjani in his commentary At-Ta'iqat As-Salafiyyah (2:51)
The Book of Jihad - Sunan an-Nasa'i 3137
This profound hadith from Sunan an-Nasa'i serves as a grave warning regarding the importance of sincerity (ikhlas) in all acts of worship. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) describes three categories of people who performed outwardly righteous deeds but will face severe punishment due to their corrupt intentions.
Commentary on the Martyr
The first case concerns the martyr (shahid) who fought and died in battle. Though his external action appears noble, his intention was for worldly recognition - to be called brave. Scholars explain that jihad becomes an act of worship only when performed solely for Allah's pleasure. The hadith establishes that deeds are judged by intentions, and even martyrdom can lead to Hell if done for show.
Commentary on the Scholar and Reciter
The second case involves the scholar and Qur'an reciter who sought knowledge and taught others, but his intention was to gain fame as a scholar and skilled reciter. Classical commentators emphasize that seeking knowledge is among the highest acts of worship, but when contaminated with riya' (showing off), it becomes spiritually destructive. The seeker of knowledge must constantly purify his intention.
Commentary on the Wealthy Benefactor
The third individual was blessed with wealth and spent generously in apparent charity, but his motive was to be called generous. Scholars note that even spending in Allah's cause requires pure intention. The narrator's uncertainty about the exact wording indicates the scrupulous care early scholars took in transmission, while the meaning remains clear: all charity must be for Allah alone.
Scholarly Conclusions
This hadith establishes the fundamental Islamic principle that intentions determine the spiritual value of deeds. The three examples represent major categories of worship: physical struggle (jihad), intellectual pursuit (knowledge), and material sacrifice (charity). All can be rendered void by seeking human praise. The consistent phrase "dragged on his face" indicates the severity of showing off in worship, as it constitutes hidden shirk (associating partners with Allah).