Read the bilingual lesson for Travel, repayment, service, and sufficiency (Hadith 37–43) and test your understanding with a focused quiz.
Lesson
1. In this lesson
Seven reports address travel hardship, return, repayment, service, recognizing faults despite attachment, seeking knowledge, and a comparison concerning sufficiency. Read each full expression before its words and example. Dropping a condition changes meaning: completion of a travel purpose, ability to repay, and a smaller amount being sufficient all matter. Examples explain these relationships without inventing a rule for every situation or determining someone’s final rank.
2. Travel hardship and return
السَّفَرُ قِطْعَةٌ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ، يَمْنَعُ أَحَدَكُمْ نَوْمَهُ، وَطَعَامَهُ، وَشَرَابَهُ. فَإِذَا قَضَى أَحَدُكُمْ نَهْمَتَهُ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ، فَلْيُعَجِّلْ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ (رواه البخاري ومسلم) Translation Travel is a portion of hardship: it disrupts one’s sleep, food, and drink. When one of you has completed the purpose of the journey, let him hasten back to his family. Arabic word or phraseMeaning السَّفَرُtravel قِطْعَةٌa portion مِنَ الْعَذَابِof hardship; here, difficulty and discomfort الْعَذَابِ here describes travel’s difficulty and discomfort; it does not declare every journey a sin or divine punishment. مِنَ here expresses “of/from,” distinct from the previously studied مَنْ, “one who.” Next, study the three needs and the condition for returning.
3. Sleep, food, and drink
يَمْنَعُ أَحَدَكُمْ نَوْمَهُ، وَطَعَامَهُ، وَشَرَابَهُ Arabic word or phraseMeaning يَمْنَعُprevents; disrupts أَحَدَكُمْone of you نَوْمَهُhis sleep وَطَعَامَهُand his food وَشَرَابَهُand his drink يَمْنَعُ relates to travel: travel disrupts these needs, and the affected person is one of you travelling. أَحَدَكُمْ and the later أَحَدُكُمْ both mean “one of you.” نَوْمَ in نَوْمَهُ means sleep, طَعَامَ in طَعَامَهُ means food, and شَرَابَ in شَرَابَهُ means drink. Each ending refers to the same traveller; وَ means “and.” Retain all three needs: sleep alone is not the whole statement.
4. Return when the purpose is completed
فَإِذَا قَضَى أَحَدُكُمْ نَهْمَتَهُ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ، فَلْيُعَجِّلْ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ Arabic word or phraseMeaning قَضَىcompleted نَهْمَتَهُhis need; the purpose of his journey مِنْ وَجْهِهِof the journey in that direction; here, the purpose for which he went فَلْيُعَجِّلْthen let him hasten back إِلَى أَهْلِهِto his family فَ means “then/so” and إِذَا means “when.” قَضَى here means completing the need, not adjudicating a case. نَهْمَتَهُ identifies the need with “his.” مِنْ means “from,” while وَجْهِهِ here concerns the journey’s direction or destination, not a face. The whole expression concerns the purpose for which he went. إِلَى means “toward,” and أَهْلِهِ means “his family.” Completion of the purpose is followed by encouragement to return promptly; “promptly” does not supply an instruction to travel dangerously.
5. Understand the condition through an example
Teaching example: someone travels to another city for a necessary task. After completing it, they arrange to return. This illustrates returning to family after fulfilling the purpose. If the necessary task remains unfinished, saying “travel is difficult” does not establish completion. Travel hardship and completion of purpose are distinct. Do not derive an additional rule about every extra day, every journey, or the family’s feelings from this short statement.
6. The comparison concerning return
قَفْلَةٌ كَغَزْوَةٍ (أبو داود) Translation A return is like a campaign. Arabic word or phraseMeaning قَفْلَةٌa return; here, return from the campaign كَغَزْوَةٍlike a campaign قَفْلَةٌ means a return. In كَغَزْوَةٍ, كَ means “like” and غَزْوَةٍ means a campaign, the historical military expedition in this context. The explanation compares setting out for that campaign with returning from it to family. It does not call every ordinary return a campaign.
7. The reward relation of departure and return
The explanation compares the participant’s reward for returning to family with the reward for setting out for the campaign. Retain both endpoints: departure for the campaign and return home from it. Teaching example: a learner hears only “return” and applies the comparison to coming back from the market every day. This drops the particular campaign context. The explanation gives no numerical reward calculation, judgment of a particular person’s reward, or classification of present-day conflicts.
8. Ability to repay and delay
مَطْلُ الْغَنِيِّ ظُلْمٌ (رواه الشيخان) Translation Putting off repayment by one who can pay is injustice. Arabic word or phraseMeaning مَطْلُputting off repayment الْغَنِيِّhere, the debtor with means to repay ظُلْمٌinjustice; wronging someone A debtor has borrowed and must repay; a creditor is the person to be repaid. The explanation concerns a debtor who can pay delaying repayment and wronging the creditor. الْغَنِيِّ is not merely a label for a visibly wealthy person; ability to pay matters here.
9. Whose delay is described?
Teaching example: the person who owes repayment has funds available but deliberately keeps putting off the person awaiting payment. Both ability and procrastination are established. If all that is known is that payment was late, ability to pay has not been established. Financial inability alone is not the injustice described in this report. The example explains the roles and condition; it supplies neither a penalty nor a judgment for every debt dispute.
10. Service during travel
سَيِّدُ الْقَوْمِ فِي السَّفَرِ خَادِمُهُمْ (البيهقي) Translation The leader of the group during travel is the one who serves them. Arabic word or phraseMeaning سَيِّدُleader الْقَوْمِthe group; the people together فِي السَّفَرِduring travel خَادِمُهُمْone who serves them فِي means “in,” and السَّفَرِ is travel. خَادِمُهُمْ names one who serves, with “them” referring to that group. Service here need not be an employment position. The next explanation distinguishes two readings of this statement.
11. Two explanations of service
One explanation is that the group’s leader should attend to companions’ needs and interests. Another is that the person serving them is their leader in this service-related regard, even if otherwise lower in standing. That second reading applies in some respects, not every respect. Teaching example: a younger companion organizes others’ belongings during a journey. The service has merit, but that one action does not automatically make the companion everyone’s appointed leader. No numerical increase in rank is assigned for each additional act of service.
12. Recognizing faults despite attachment
حُبُّكَ الشَّيْءَ يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ (رواه أبو داود) Translation Your love for a thing makes you blind and deaf. Arabic word or phraseMeaning حُبُّكَyour love; your attachment الشَّيْءَthe thing; here, the object of attachment يُعْمِيmakes blind; here, to seeing faults وَيُصِمُّand makes deaf; here, to hearing faults In حُبُّكَ, حُبُّ means love and the ending كَ means “your”; it does not say that the thing loves you. وَ means “and.” The explanation concerns not seeing the liked thing’s faults or hearing about its ugliness. It is not a claim that physical sight or hearing is lost.
13. Hearing a true criticism of what you like
Teaching example: someone likes a favourite book. When shown a clear error, they examine it and accept the correction. Another person likes the same book but refuses to look at evidence or listen. The second response closes itself to the fault. The warning does not declare every love sinful. Affection can remain while a real error is acknowledged. The blindness and deafness words picture failure to recognize faults; they do not judge the character of people with physical disabilities.
14. The responsibility to seek knowledge
طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِ فَرِيضَةٌ عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ (البيهقي وابن ماجة) Translation Seeking knowledge is an obligation upon every Muslim. Arabic word or phraseMeaning طَلَبُ الْعِلْمِseeking knowledge فَرِيضَةٌan obligation; a required duty عَلَى كُلِّ مُسْلِمٍupon every Muslim طَلَبُ means seeking and الْعِلْمِ means knowledge. عَلَى means “upon,” كُلِّ means “every,” and مُسْلِمٍ means “Muslim”; the whole expression identifies the duty’s relation. فَرِيضَةٌ expresses duty, not merely a useful hobby. The report states the obligation; it does not give a detailed list of every branch required for each person.
15. A next step in learning
Teaching example: someone does not know how to fulfil a responsibility. They clarify the question and learn from trustworthy people of knowledge so they can act with understanding. This illustrates seeking knowledge. If it is unclear what learning is necessary in one’s circumstances, seek reliable guidance instead of inventing a complete list or abandoning the duty. The short report neither requires every advanced specialization from each person nor makes the obligation merely a matter of preference.
16. Little but sufficient, much but distracting
مَا قَلَّ وَكَفَى، خَيْرٌ مِمَّا كَثُرَ وَأَلْهَى (رواه أبو نعيم) Translation What is little and sufficient is better than what is much and distracts from remembrance of Allah. Arabic word or phraseMeaning قَلَّwas little وَكَفَىand sufficed خَيْرٌbetter كَثُرَwas much وَأَلْهَىand distracted from remembrance of Allah مَا means “what/that which”; here it concerns worldly provision or enjoyment. وَ means “and” on both sides: little and sufficient; much and distracting. مِمَّا gives the comparison “than what,” not مَنْ, “one who.” كَفَى concerns sufficiency and أَلْهَى distraction. The explanation specifically identifies distraction from remembrance of Allah.
17. Retain both conditions
Teaching example: someone has enough to meet their need and is not distracted from remembering Allah. Another has more but becomes so absorbed in it that remembrance is neglected. Quantity alone is not the comparison: sufficiency and distraction matter too. If a smaller amount does not meet the need, smallness alone does not establish the merit described. If a larger amount lacks the stated distraction, abundance alone does not establish the negative side. No personal monetary threshold or condemnation of every comfortable life is supplied.
18. Recap
Travel affects sleep, food, and drink; retain return after completion of the purpose. Do not apply the campaign explanation of قَفْلَةٌ to every return. Ability to repay matters in the debt warning; the particular service-related regard matters in the leadership explanation. Affection can coexist with hearing a true criticism. Seeking knowledge is a duty; obtain reliable guidance for your needs. In the final comparison, retain sufficiency alongside little and distraction from remembrance of Allah alongside much. Explain each report in your own words, then give a fresh example and a similar but different case.
Practice questions
Question 1: Need and word
Match each situation with the relevant word from the travel report.
Question 2: Check your understanding
Someone has completed the task at the destination but says, “The return condition is not met until every hardship of travel ends.” What is the condition in the report?
- Completion of the journey’s purpose
- Disappearance of every travel hardship
- Merely forming an intention to return home
Question 3: Check your understanding
Which meaning fits مِنَ الْعَذَابِ in this description of travel?
- A certain verdict of sin for every traveller
- An instruction deliberately to deny oneself sleep, food, and drink while travelling
- Travel hardship and disruption of needs
Question 4: Check your understanding
Which two endpoints are compared in reward in the explanation of قَفْلَةٌ كَغَزْوَةٍ?
- Setting out on any ordinary trip and returning from it
- Returning from the campaign and ordinary rest at home
- Setting out for the campaign and returning from it to family
Question 5: Check your understanding
All that is reported is that a debt was repaid late. What further point matters for the specific example of مَطْلُ الْغَنِيِّ?
- Whether the borrower’s income exceeded other people’s
- Whether the borrower had the means to repay
- How urgently the creditor wanted the money
Question 6: Check your understanding
Zayd borrowed money from Hamid, and Hamid now asks for repayment. Who are the debtor and creditor?
- Zayd is the debtor; Hamid the creditor
- Hamid is the debtor; Zayd the creditor
- Both become debtors merely by making a demand
Question 7: Check your understanding
An unappointed companion arranges necessary seating for the travelling group. Which statement fits both explanations of the service report?
- Service automatically confers formal leadership
- Only an appointed leader’s service has merit
- Leaders should serve; service has standing in that regard
Question 8: Check your understanding
Someone values a favourite teacher’s words but accepts a clear error when it is shown. How does this differ from blindness to faults?
- They did not refuse to recognize an error despite their affection
- Acknowledging an error automatically ended every affection
- A favourite person’s words need no examination for error
Question 9: Check your understanding
What is the direction of affection in حُبُّكَ الشَّيْءَ?
- The thing loves you
- You love the thing
- Your love is directed only toward yourself
Question 10: Arrange the knowledge expression
Arrange the full studied Arabic expression about the duty to seek knowledge.
Question 11: Check your understanding
Someone is unsure what learning is required in their circumstances. What is an appropriate next step according to this lesson?
- Independently make every advanced branch compulsory
- Clarify the learning need through reliable guidance
- Treat the duty as only a hobby while the details remain unclear
Question 12: Check your understanding
Which complete relationship must be retained in مَا قَلَّ وَكَفَى، خَيْرٌ مِمَّا كَثُرَ وَأَلْهَى?
- Less is better even when it does not meet the need
- More is bad even without distraction
- Little but sufficient; much but distracting from Allah’s remembrance
Question 13: Check your understanding
The smaller amount does not meet the need, while the stated distraction is not established for the larger amount. What can be decided from quantity alone?
- That alone does not establish both conditions in the report
- Being smaller is enough; sufficiency may be omitted
- Being larger is enough; distraction is automatic
Question 14: Check your understanding
What travel-related meaning does وَجْهِهِ carry in قَضَى ... نَهْمَتَهُ مِنْ وَجْهِهِ?
- The outward appearance of the traveller’s face
- The journey’s direction or destination for which he went
- The identity of the person the traveller went to meet
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