"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The dust in the cause of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never be combined in a slave's lungs, and stinginess and faith can never be combined in a slave's heart.'"
The Book of Jihad - Sunan an-Nasa'i 3112
"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'The dust in the cause of Allah and the smoke of Hell will never be combined in a slave's lungs, and stinginess and faith can never be combined in a slave's heart.'"
Commentary on the First Part
The phrase "dust in the cause of Allah" refers to the honorable state of the mujahid who travels for jihad, enduring hardship and dust on the battlefield. "Smoke of Hell" signifies the punishment awaiting the disbelievers. The Prophet (ﷺ) establishes that these two cannot coexist in one person - either one strives in Allah's path and earns divine pleasure, or faces the consequences of disbelief and disobedience.
This portion emphasizes the honor and spiritual purity attained through legitimate jihad, contrasting it with the ultimate degradation of Hell's punishment. The lungs symbolize the innermost being of a person, indicating that these two states are fundamentally incompatible in one's essential nature.
Commentary on the Second Part
The incompatibility of stinginess and faith demonstrates that true faith must manifest in character. Stinginess (bukhl) represents attachment to worldly possessions and reluctance to spend in Allah's cause, while faith requires generosity and trust in divine provision.
As Imam Nawawi explains, this hadith shows that miserliness contradicts the very essence of iman, which necessitates spending for Allah's pleasure and caring for others. The heart cannot simultaneously harbor complete faith and withholding from what Allah has commanded to be given.
Scholarly Insights
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali notes that this hadith combines both physical and spiritual jihad - the external struggle against enemies and internal struggle against base desires. The two parts complement each other in describing the complete Muslim character.
Al-Munawi adds that the hadith uses powerful imagery to create lasting impressions, making abstract spiritual truths tangible through physical metaphors that remain etched in the heart and mind of the believer.