Warning of profit at a Muslim’s expense
📖Sunan Abī Dāwūd 4881
Al-Mustawrid (RA) reported: The Prophet ﷺ said: Whoever eats so much as a morsel at the expense of a Muslim’s reputation, then Allah will feed him the likes of it in Hell. Whoever clothes himself with a garment at the expense of a Muslim’s reputation, then Allah will clothe him with the likes of it in Hell. Whoever stands in a position of repute and fame at the expense of a man, then Allah will make him stand in a position of dishonor and infamy on the Day of Resurrection.
Best Description:
This hadith warns against gaining any worldly benefit – whether food, clothing, or status – by harming, humiliating, or exploiting another Muslim. It shows that Allah values human dignity so much that even a small violation can lead to a severe consequence in the Hereafter. The imagery of Hell’s food, Hell’s clothing, and Hell’s disgrace is meant to make believers avoid even the smallest injustice.
Reason & Wisdom:
- Islam teaches that everything we consume or wear should be pure and lawful, not stained by injustice.
- Taking from others unjustly – even if it’s just to show off, gain fame, or feed oneself – corrupts society by encouraging greed, envy, and hostility.
- Practical example today: Wasting expensive clothes while others have none, flaunting branded items to make others feel inferior, or eating extravagantly while knowing a neighbor is hungry.
- The punishment is severe because such actions destroy social trust, spread arrogance, and humiliate the poor.
- If you knowingly take benefit while harming someone’s honor or rights, it means you have valued your own comfort over another person’s dignity.
- On the Day of Judgment, Allah will make the punishment mirror the crime – you took comfort at someone’s expense, now you will take suffering at your own expense.
Exception:
- If someone does this by mistake (not realizing it harms another person), or if they are doing well in life without harming anyone, then this warning does not apply to them. Islam does not forbid wealth or good living – it forbids injustice.
Qur’ān Context:
📖Qur’ān 2:188
“And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you to consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful].”
- Wealth and benefit should be earned through justice, not by harming others or manipulating systems.
📖Qur’ān 49:11
“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them…”
- Gaining fame or comfort by putting others down is a spiritual disease that destroys unity.
📖Qur’ān 17:26-27
“And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils…”
- Wastefulness while others are in need is a betrayal of the trust Allah has given in wealth.