“I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘The likeness of this world in comparison to the Hereafter is that of anyone of you dipping his finger into the sea: let him see what he brings forth.’”  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مَثَلُ الدُّنْيَا فِي الآخِرَةِ إِلاَّ مَثَلُ مَا يَجْعَلُ أَحَدُكُمْ إِصْبَعَهُ فِي الْيَمِّ فَلْيَنْظُرْ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ  

“The Prophet ﷺ lay down on a reed mat, and it left marks on his skin. I said: ‘May my father and mother be ransomed for you, O Messenger of Allah! If you had told us we would have provided you with something that would save you this trouble.’ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘What is there between myself and the world? This world and I are just like a rider who stops to rest beneath the shade of a tree then goes and leaves it.’”  

اضْطَجَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ عَلَى حَصِيرٍ فَأَثَّرَ فِي جِلْدِهِ فَقُلْتُ بِأَبِي وَأُمِّي يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ كُنْتَ آذَنْتَنَا فَفَرَشْنَا لَكَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا يَقِيكَ مِنْهُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا أَنَا وَالدُّنْيَا إِنَّمَا أَنَا وَالدُّنْيَا كَرَاكِبٍ اسْتَظَلَّ تَحْتَ شَجَرَةٍ ثُمَّ رَاحَ وَتَرَكَهَا  

“We were with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in Dhul-Hulaifah, when we saw a dead sheep lifting its leg (because of bloating). He said: ‘Don’t you think this is worthless to its owner? By the One in Whose hand is my soul, this world is more worthless to Allah than this (dead sheep) is to its owner. If this world was worth the wing of a mosquito to Allah, the disbeliever would not have a drop to drink from it.’”  

كُنَّا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِشَاةٍ مَيِّتَةٍ شَائِلَةٍ بِرِجْلِهَا فَقَالَ أَتُرَوْنَ هَذِهِ هَيِّنَةً عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ عَلَى صَاحِبِهَا وَلَوْ كَانَتِ الدُّنْيَا تَزِنُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ جَنَاحَ بَعُوضَةٍ مَا سَقَى كَافِرًا مِنْهَا قَطْرَةً أَبَدًا  

“I was riding with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he came across a dead lamb that had been thrown out.’ He said: ‘Don’t you think that this is worthless to its owners?’ It was said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, it is because it is worthless that they have thrown it out, - or words to that effect. He said: ‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, this world is more worthless to Allah than this is to its owners.’”  

إِنِّي لَفِي الرَّكْبِ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذْ أَتَى عَلَى سَخْلَةٍ مَنْبُوذَةٍ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَتُرَوْنَ هَذِهِ هَانَتْ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا قَالَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مِنْ هَوَانِهَا أَلْقَوْهَا أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ قَالَ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا  

“I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: ‘This world is cursed and what is in it is cursed, except the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) and what is conducive to that, or one who has knowledge or who acquires knowledge.’”  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ الدُّنْيَا مَلْعُونَةٌ مَلْعُونٌ مَا فِيهَا إِلاَّ ذِكْرَ اللَّهِ وَمَا وَالاَهُ أَوْ عَالِمًا أَوْ مُتَعَلِّمًا  

“This world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever.’”  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الدُّنْيَا سِجْنُ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَجَنَّةُ الْكَافِرِ  

“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took hold of some part of my body and said: ‘O ‘Abdullah, be in this world like a stranger, or one who is passing through, and consider yourself as one of the people of the graves.’”  

أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِبَعْضِ جَسَدِي فَقَالَ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ كُنْ فِي الدُّنْيَا كَأَنَّكَ غَرِيبٌ أَوْ كَأَنَّكَ عَابِرُ سَبِيلٍ وَعُدَّ نَفْسَكَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُبُورِ