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.
nasai-kubra:6425Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr > ʿAṭāʾ b. al-Sāʾib > Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Saʿd b. Abū Waqqāṣ

"The Messenger of Allah visited me when I was sick, and said: 'Have you made a will?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'How much?' I said: 'For all my wealth to be given in the cause of Allah.' He said: 'What have you left for your children?' I said: 'They are rich (independent of means).' He said: 'Bequeath one-tenth.' And we kept discussing it until he said: 'Bequeath one-third, and one-third is much or large.'" (Using translation from Nasāʾī 3631)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٦٤٢٥أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ السَّائِبِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ قَالَ

عَادَنِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ فِي مَرَضِي فَقَالَ «أَوْصَيْتَ؟» قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ «بِكَمْ؟» قُلْتُ بِمَالِي كُلِّهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ قَالَ «فَمَا تَرَكْتَ لِوَلَدِكَ؟» قُلْتُ هُمْ أَغْنِيَاءُ قَالَ «أَوْصِ بِالْعُشْرِ» فَمَا زَالَ يَقُولُ وَأَقُولُ حَتَّى قَالَ «أَوْصِ بِالثُّلُثِ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ أَوْ كَبِيرٌ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Nasāʾī, Tirmidhī
nasai:3631Isḥāq b. Ibrāhīm > Jarīr > ʿAṭāʾ b. al-Sāʾib > Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Saʿd b. Abū Waqqāṣ

"The Messenger of Allah visited me when I was sick, and said: 'Have you made a will?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'How much?' I said: 'For all my wealth to be given in the cause of Allah.' He said: 'What have you left for your children?' I said: 'They are rich (independent of means).' He said: 'Bequeath one-tenth.' And we kept discussing it until he said: 'Bequeath one-third, and one-third is much or large.'"  

النسائي:٣٦٣١أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ أَنْبَأَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ السَّائِبِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ أَبِي وَقَّاصٍ قَالَ

عَادَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي مَرَضِي فَقَالَ أَوْصَيْتَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ بِكَمْ قُلْتُ بِمَالِي كُلِّهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَمَا تَرَكْتَ لِوَلدِكَ قُلْتُ هُمْ أَغْنِيَاءُ قَالَ أَوْصِ بِالْعُشْرِ فَمَا زَالَ يَقُولُ وَأَقُولُ حَتَّى قَالَ أَوْصِ بِالثُّلُثِ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ أَوْ كَبِيرٌ  

tirmidhi:975Qutaybah > Jarīr > ʿAṭāʾ b. al-Sāʾib > Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥman al-Sulamī > Saʿd b. Mālik

"The Messenger of Allah came to visit me while I was sick. He said: 'Do you have a will?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'For how much?' I said: 'All of my wealth, for the cause of Allah.' He said: 'What did you leave for your children?'" He (Sa'd) said: "They are rich in goodness.' He said: 'Will a tenth.'" He (Sa'd) said: "He (pbuh) continued decreasing it until he said: 'Will a third, and a third is too great.'" (One of the narrators:) Abdur-Rahman said: "We considered it recommended that it be less than a third, since the Messenger of Allah said: 'And a third is too great.'"  

الترمذي:٩٧٥حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ السَّائِبِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيِّ عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ قَالَ

عَادَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَأَنَا مَرِيضٌ فَقَالَ أَوْصَيْتَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ بِكَمْ قُلْتُ بِمَالِي كُلِّهِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَمَا تَرَكْتَ لِوَلَدِكَ قُلْتُ هُمْ أَغْنِيَاءُ بِخَيْرٍ قَالَ أَوْصِ بِالْعُشْرِ فَمَا زِلْتُ أُنَاقِصُهُ حَتَّى قَالَ أَوْصِ بِالثُّلُثِ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَنَحْنُ نَسْتَحِبُّ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنَ الثُّلُثِ لِقَوْلِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَالثُّلُثُ كَثِيرٌ قَالَ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى حَدِيثُ سَعْدٍ حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ وَقَدْ رُوِيَ عَنْهُ وَالثُّلُثُ كَبِيرٌ وَالْعَمَلُ عَلَى هَذَا عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ لاَ يَرَوْنَ أَنْ يُوصِيَ الرَّجُلُ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنَ الثُّلُثِ وَيَسْتَحِبُّونَ أَنْ يَنْقُصَ مِنَ الثُّلُثِ قَالَ سُفْيَانُ الثَّوْرِيُّ كَانُوا يَسْتَحِبُّونَ فِي الْوَصِيَّةِ الْخُمُسَ دُونَ الرُّبُعِ وَالرُّبُعَ دُونَ الثُّلُثِ وَمَنْ أَوْصَى بِالثُّلُثِ فَلَمْ يَتْرُكْ شَيْئًا وَلاَ يَجُوزُ لَهُ إِلاَّ الثُّلُثُ