"The dust in the cause of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never be combined in a man's face, and stinginess and faith can never be combined in a slave's heart."
Hadith Commentary - Sunan an-Nasa'i 3111
This profound hadith from The Book of Jihad in Sunan an-Nasa'i contains two powerful spiritual truths that illuminate the nature of faith and its manifestations in human conduct.
First Proclamation: The Incompatibility of Jihad and Hellfire
"The dust in the cause of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never be combined in a man's face" signifies that one who truly engages in jihad fi sabil Allah - whether through physical struggle, financial sacrifice, or verbal defense of truth - and bears the hardships and dust of this noble path, cannot simultaneously be destined for the smoke of Hellfire.
The "dust" represents the tangible evidence of striving in Allah's cause, while the "smoke of Hell" symbolizes ultimate divine displeasure. These two states are mutually exclusive - genuine struggle in Allah's path purifies the soul and earns divine protection from eternal punishment.
Second Proclamation: The Incompatibility of Faith and Stinginess
"Stinginess and faith can never be combined in a slave's heart" reveals that true faith (iman) and miserliness (bukhl) cannot coexist in a believer's heart. Faith necessitates generosity, trust in divine provision, and willingness to spend in Allah's cause.
Stinginess indicates weak faith and excessive attachment to worldly possessions, while genuine faith creates contentment with divine decree and liberality in giving. The heart is a single vessel that cannot contain both the light of faith and the darkness of miserliness simultaneously.
Scholarly Insights
Classical scholars explain that this hadith establishes the principle of spiritual incompatibility - certain qualities cannot coexist within the same spiritual state. Just as light and darkness cannot occupy the same space simultaneously, these opposing spiritual conditions cannot inhabit the same heart.
The connection between the two parts of the hadith demonstrates that external jihad (struggle) and internal jihad against base characteristics like stinginess are interconnected aspects of complete faith.