Sunan an-Nasa'i
The Book of Wills
كتاب الوصايا
Chapter 1
الْكَرَاهِيَةِ فِي تَأْخِيرِ الْوَصِيَّةِ
Ahmad ibn Harb reported to us: Muhammad ibn Fudayl narrated to us, from 'Umarah, from Abu Zur'ah, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: A man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, which charity brings the greatest reward?’ He replied, ‘That you give charity while you are healthy, still inclined to hold on to your wealth, fearing poverty and hoping for a long life. Do not delay until the soul reaches the throat and then say, “This is for so-and-so, and that is for so-and-so,” when it has already become the property of so-and-so.’’
Translation notes
The closing phrase alludes to making bequests at the point of death, when the estate is already passing to the heirs; the Arabic does not use the English witness's parenthetical ‘death rattle.’
Hannad ibn as-Sari reported to us, from Abu Mu'awiyah, from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim at-Taymi, from al-Harith ibn Suwayd, from 'Abdullah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, ‘Which of you loves the wealth of his heir more than his own wealth?’ They said, ‘Messenger of Allah, there is none among us whose own wealth is not dearer to him than his heir's wealth.’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘Know that there is none among you whose heir's wealth is not dearer to him than his own. Your wealth is what you have sent ahead, and your heir's wealth is what you leave behind.’
Translation notes
The contrast in the closing line is between wealth spent ahead of oneself and wealth left to one's heirs.
'Amr ibn 'Ali reported to us: Yahya narrated to us: Shu'bah narrated to us, from Qatadah, from Mutarrif, from his father, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘“Rivalry in accumulating more distracts you, until you visit the graves.” The son of Adam says, “My wealth, my wealth!” Yet your wealth is only what you eat and consume, what you wear until it wears out, or what you give in charity and send ahead.’
Translation notes
The opening words quote Qur'an 102:1–2; the report then explains what wealth truly belongs to a person.
Muhammad ibn Bashshar reported to us: Muhammad narrated to us: Shu'bah narrated to us: I heard Abu Ishaq; he heard Abu Habibah at-Ta'i say: A man bequeathed dinars to be spent in the cause of Allah. Abu ad-Darda' was asked about it and related from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘The likeness of one who emancipates a slave or gives charity at the time of death is that of someone who gives a gift after having eaten his fill.’
Translation notes
The comparison is rendered literally, but its intended force is not explained in the report.
قَالَ أَوْصَى رَجُلٌ بِدَنَانِيرَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَسُئِلَ أَبُو الدَّرْدَاءِ فَحَدَّثَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " مَثَلُ الَّذِي يَعْتِقُ أَوْ يَتَصَدَّقُ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ مَثَلُ الَّذِي يُهْدِي بَعْدَ مَا يَشْبَعُ ".
The report compares charity or emancipation at death with giving a gift after eating one's fill, but does not explain the intended point of comparison.
Should the comparison remain literal, or does a specialist reading identify a more specific implication about the timing or value of such giving?
Qutaybah ibn Sa'id reported to us: Al-Fudayl narrated to us, from 'Ubaydullah, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘It is not fitting for a Muslim who has something to bequeath to spend two nights without having his will written and kept with him.’
Translation notes
The Arabic sets a two-night period and says the written will should be present with the person.
Muhammad ibn Salamah reported to us: Ibn al-Qasim narrated to us, from Malik, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘It is the right of a Muslim who has something to bequeath not to spend two nights without having his will written and kept with him.’
Translation notes
This is another wording of the report about keeping a written will at hand.
Muhammad ibn Hatim ibn Nu'aym reported to us: Hibban narrated to us: 'Abdullah informed us, from Ibn 'Awn, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar—as his own statement.
Translation notes
The source marks this as Ibn 'Umar's own statement, not as a Prophetic report; the statement's content is abbreviated here.
Yunus ibn 'Abd al-A'la reported to us: Ibn Wahb informed us: Yunus informed me, from Ibn Shihab, who said: Salim informed me, from 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘It is not fitting for a Muslim to let three nights pass without having his will with him.’ 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar said: Since I heard the Messenger of Allah say this, no night has passed without my will being with me.
Translation notes
This version specifies three nights and adds Ibn 'Umar's statement that he kept his will with him thereafter.
Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn al-Wazir ibn Sulayman reported to us: I heard Ibn Wahb say: Yunus and 'Amr ibn al-Harith informed me, from Ibn Shihab, from Salim ibn 'Abdullah, from his father, from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘It is the right of a Muslim who has something to bequeath not to let three nights pass without having his written will with him.’
Translation notes
This version specifies three nights and describes the written will as being kept with the person.
Chapter 2
هَلْ أَوْصَى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Isma'il ibn Mas'ud reported to us: Khalid ibn al-Harith narrated to us: Malik ibn Mighwal narrated to us: Talhah said: I asked Ibn Abi Awfa, ‘Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) leave a will?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘How, then, did he instruct the Muslims regarding a will?’ He replied, ‘He enjoined the Book of Allah.’
Translation notes
The final phrase, awsa bi-kitab Allah, can be read as enjoining or entrusting the Book of Allah; the English witness expands it as an instruction to adhere to it.
قُلْتُ كَيْفَ كَتَبَ عَلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْوَصِيَّةَ قَالَ أَوْصَى بِكِتَابِ اللَّهِ.
The phrase awsa bi-kitab Allah literally says that he enjoined or entrusted the Book of Allah, while the English witness expands this as urging adherence to it.
Should this remain a concise ‘He enjoined the Book of Allah,’ or should it be rendered as an instruction to adhere to it?
Muhammad ibn Rafi' reported to us: Yahya ibn Adam narrated to us: Mufaddal narrated to us, from al-A'mash. Muhammad ibn al-'Ala' and Ahmad ibn Harb also informed us: Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Shaqiq, from Masruq, from 'A'ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left neither a dinar nor a dirham, neither a sheep nor a camel, and he left no bequest.
Translation notes
The source gives two transmission routes, the second of which continues through Shaqiq and Masruq to 'A'ishah.
Muhammad ibn Rafi' informed me: Mus'ab narrated to us: Dawud narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Shaqiq, from Masruq, from 'A'ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left neither a dirham nor a dinar, neither a sheep nor a camel, and he made no bequest.
Translation notes
This is another wording of the report that the Prophet left no bequest.
Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hudhayl and Ahmad ibn Yusuf reported to us: 'Asim ibn Yusuf narrated to us: Hasan ibn 'Ayyash narrated to us, from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from al-Aswad, from 'A'ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left neither a dirham nor a dinar, neither a sheep nor a camel, and he made no bequest. Ja'far did not mention a dinar or a dirham.
Translation notes
The source explicitly records a wording difference: Ja'far's version omits the reference to dinars and dirhams.
'Amr ibn 'Ali reported to us: Azhar narrated to us: Ibn 'Awn informed us, from Ibrahim, from al-Aswad, from 'A'ishah, who said: They claim that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made a bequest to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He called for a basin to urinate in; then his strength failed and he slumped while I was unaware. So to whom did he make a bequest?
Translation notes
The phrase describing what happened after the basin was brought is terse; it is rendered as his strength failing and his body slumping, without adding an explicit statement of death.
قَالَتْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَوْصَى إِلَى عَلِيٍّ رضى الله عنه لَقَدْ دَعَا بِالطَّسْتِ لِيَبُولَ فِيهَا فَانْخَنَثَتْ نَفْسُهُ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَا أَشْعُرُ فَإِلَى مَنْ أَوْصَى
The phrase فانخنثت نفسه وما أشعر indicates a sudden collapse or loss of strength while 'A'ishah was unaware, but the wording does not explicitly state the event that followed.
Should the phrase be rendered as ‘he slumped while I was unaware,’ or does the intended meaning explicitly describe his death?
Ahmad ibn Sulayman informed me: 'Arim narrated to us: Hammad ibn Zayd narrated to us, from Ibn 'Awn, from Ibrahim, from al-Aswad, from 'A'ishah, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away when no one was with him except me. She said: He called for a basin.
Translation notes
The Arabic gives 'A'ishah's statement and then adds that he called for a basin; it does not specify the basin's purpose in this wording.
Chapter 3
الْوَصِيَّةِ بِالثُّلُثِ
'Amr ibn 'Uthman ibn Sa'id informed me: Sufyan narrated to us, from az-Zuhri, from 'Amir ibn Sa'd, from his father, who said: I fell ill and came close to death from that illness. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit me, and I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, I have a great deal of wealth, and my only heir is my daughter. May I give two-thirds of my wealth in charity?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Then half?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Then one-third?’ He said, ‘One-third—and one-third is a lot. It is better for you to leave your heirs well provided for than to leave them impoverished, holding out their hands to people.’
Translation notes
The Arabic describes Sa'd as having come close to death in his illness; it does not explicitly state that he later recovered.
'Amr ibn Mansur and Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us—these are Ahmad's words: Abu Nu'aym narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Sa'd ibn Ibrahim, from 'Amir ibn Sa'd, from Sa'd, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to visit me while I was in Makkah. I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, should I bequeath all my wealth?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Then half?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Then one-third?’ He said, ‘One-third—and one-third is a lot. Leaving your heirs well provided for is better than leaving them destitute, holding out their hands to people.’
Translation notes
This version explicitly identifies Ahmad's wording and repeats the image of heirs holding out their hands.
'Amr ibn 'Ali reported to us: 'Abd ar-Rahman narrated to us: Sufyan narrated to us, from Sa'd ibn Ibrahim, from 'Amir ibn Sa'd, from his father, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to visit me while I was in Makkah, and I disliked the thought of dying in the land from which I had emigrated. The Prophet said, ‘May Allah have mercy on Sa'd ibn 'Afra'’—or, ‘May Allah show mercy to Sa'd ibn 'Afra'.’ I had only one daughter. I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, may I bequeath all my wealth?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Half?’ He said, ‘No.’ I asked, ‘Then one-third?’ He said, ‘One-third—and one-third is a lot. Leaving your heirs well provided for is better than leaving them impoverished, holding out their hands to people for what they need.’
Translation notes
The report preserves an alternative wording of the supplication concerning Sa'd ibn 'Afra'.
Ahmad ibn Sulayman reported to us: Abu Nu'aym narrated to us: Mis'ar narrated to us, from Sa'd ibn Ibrahim, who said: One of Sa'd's family members told me: Sa'd fell ill, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came in to visit him. Sa'd said, ‘Messenger of Allah, may I bequeath all my wealth?’ He said, ‘No.’ The narrator then recounted the rest of the hadith.
Translation notes
The source identifies the informant only as someone from Sa'd's family and abbreviates the remainder as the same hadith.
Al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-'Azim al-'Anbari reported to us: 'Abd al-Kabir ibn 'Abd al-Majid narrated to us: Bukayr ibn Mismar narrated to us: I heard 'Amir ibn Sa'd narrate, from his father, that he fell ill in Makkah, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to him. When Sa'd saw him, he wept and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, will I die in the land from which you emigrated?’ He said, ‘No, if Allah wills.’ Sa'd said, ‘Messenger of Allah, may I bequeath all my wealth in the cause of Allah?’ He said, ‘No.’ Sa'd asked, ‘Then two-thirds?’ He said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Then half?’ He said, ‘No.’ He asked, ‘Then one-third?’ The Messenger of Allah said, ‘One-third—and one-third is a lot. Leaving your sons well provided for is better than leaving them impoverished, holding out their hands to people.’