Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
muslim:2957aʿAbdullāh b. Maslamah b. Qaʿnab > Sulaymān / Ibn Bilāl > Jaʿfar from his father > Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh

that Allah's Apostle ( ﷺ) happened to walk through the bazar coming from the side of 'Aliya and the people were on both his sides. There he found a dead lamb with very short ears. He took hold of his ear and said: Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham? They said: We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us. He said: Do you wish to have it (free of any cost)? They said: By Allah, even if it were alive (we would not have liked to possess that), for there is defect in it as its ear is very short; now it is dead also.

Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah than it (this dead lamb) is in your eye.  

مسلم:٢٩٥٧aحَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ بْنِ قَعْنَبٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ يَعْنِي ابْنَ بِلاَلٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَرَّ بِالسُّوقِ دَاخِلاً مِنْ بَعْضِ الْعَالِيَةِ وَالنَّاسُ كَنَفَتَهُ فَمَرَّ بِجَدْىٍ أَسَكَّ مَيِّتٍ فَتَنَاوَلَهُ فَأَخَذَ بِأُذُنِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيُّكُمْ يُحِبُّ أَنَّ هَذَا لَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ فَقَالُوا مَا نُحِبُّ أَنَّهُ لَنَا بِشَىْءٍ وَمَا نَصْنَعُ بِهِ قَالَ أَتُحِبُّونَ أَنَّهُ لَكُمْ قَالُوا وَاللَّهِ لَوْ كَانَ حَيًّا كَانَ عَيْبًا فِيهِ لأَنَّهُ أَسَكُّ فَكَيْفَ وَهُوَ مَيِّتٌ

فَقَالَ فَوَاللَّهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذَا عَلَيْكُمْ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad, Bayhaqī
ahmad:14930ʿAffān > Wuhayb > Jaʿfar from his father > Jābir

that Allah's Apostle ( ﷺ) happened to walk through the bazar coming from the side of 'Aliya and the people were on both his sides. There he found a dead lamb with very short ears. He took hold of his ear and said: Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham? They said: We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us. He said: Do you wish to have it (free of any cost)? They said: By Allah, even if it were alive (we would not have liked to possess that), for there is defect in it as its ear is very short; now it is dead also.

Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah than it (this dead lamb) is in your eye. (Using translation from Muslim 2957a)   

أحمد:١٤٩٣٠حَدَّثَنَا عَفَّانُ حَدَّثَنَا وُهَيْبٌ حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرٌ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ أَتَى الْعَالِيَةَ فَمَرَّ بِالسُّوقِ فَمَرَّ بِجَدْيٍ أَسَكَّ مَيِّتٍ فَتَنَاوَلَهُ فَرَفَعَهُ ثُمَّ قَالَ بِكَمْ تُحِبُّونَ أَنَّ هَذَا لَكُمْ؟ قَالَوا مَا نُحِبُّ أَنَّهُ لَنَا بِشَيْءٍ وَمَا نَصْنَعُ بِهِ قَالَ بِكَمْتُحِبُّونَ أَنَّهُ لَكُمْ؟ قَالَوا وَاللهِ لَوْ كَانَ حَيًّا لَكَانَ عَيْبًا فِيهِ أَنَّهُ أَسَكُّ فَكَيْفَ وَهُوَ مَيِّتٌ؟ قَالَ فَوَاللهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللهِ مِنْ هَذَا عَلَيْكُمْ  

bayhaqi:660Abū ʿAbdullāh al-Ḥāfiẓ > Abū Bakr Aḥmad b. Isḥāq al-Faqīh > Mūsá b. al-Ḥasan > al-Qaʿnabī > Sulaymān b. Bilāl > Jaʿfar b. Muḥammad from his father > Jābir b. ʿAbdullāh

that Allah's Apostle ( ﷺ) happened to walk through the bazar coming from the side of 'Aliya and the people were on both his sides. There he found a dead lamb with very short ears. He took hold of his ear and said: Who amongst you would like to have this for a dirham? They said: We do not like to have it even for less than that as it is of no use to us. He said: Do you wish to have it (free of any cost)? They said: By Allah, even if it were alive (we would not have liked to possess that), for there is defect in it as its ear is very short; now it is dead also.

Thereupon Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: By Allah, this world is more insignificant in the eye of Allah than it (this dead lamb) is in your eye. (Using translation from Muslim 2957a)   

البيهقي:٦٦٠أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الْفَقِيهُ ثنا مُوسَى بْنُ الْحَسَنِ أنا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ ثنا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلَالٍ عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ مَرَّ بِالسُّوقِ دَاخِلًا مِنْ بَعْضِ الْعَالِيَةِ وَالنَّاسُ كَنَفَتَيْهِ فَمَرَّ بِجَدْيٍ أَسَكَّ مَيْتٍ فَتَنَاوَلَهُ فَأَخَذَ يَعْنِي بِأُذُنِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيُّكُمْ يُحِبُّ أَنَّ هَذَا لَهُ بِدِرْهَمٍ؟ فَقَالُوا مَا نُحِبُّ أَنَّهُ لَنَا بِشَيْءٍ وَمَا نَصْنَعُ بِهِ قَالَ أَتُحِبُّونَ أَنَّهُ لَكُمْ؟ قَالُوا وَاللهِ لَوْ كَانَ حَيًّا كَانَ عَيْبًا فِيهِ لِأَنَّهُ أَسَكُّ فَكَيْفَ وَهُوَ مَيْتٌ فَقَالَ فَوَاللهِ لَلدُّنْيَا أَهْوَنُ عَلَى اللهِ مِنْ هَذَا عَلَيْكُمْ  

رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنِ الْقَعْنَبِيِّ