عن عبدِ اللهِ بنِ عَمرِو بنِ العاصِ رضيَ اللهُ عنهما قال: مَرَّ عَلَيْنَا رسولُ اللهِ صَلّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وسَلَّم وَنحنُ نُعالِجُ خُصًّا لَنَا فقال: «ما هذا؟» فَقُلْنَا: قَدْ وَهَى، فَنَحْنُ نُصْلِحُهُ، فقال: «ما أَرَى الأَمْرَ إِلَّا أَعْجَلَ مِنْ ذلكَ». رواه أَبو داود، والترمذيُّ بإِسناد البخاريِّ ومسلم، وقال الترمذيُّ: حديثٌ حسنٌ صحيحٌ.
'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr ibn al-'As (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by us while we were repairing a hut of ours, and he said: "What is this?" We said: It has become rickety, so we are mending it. He said: "I do not see the matter as anything but quicker than that." [Reported by Abu Dawud, and by al-Tirmidhi with the chain of al-Bukhari and Muslim; al-Tirmidhi said: a hasan sahih hadith]
الشرح · explanation
نعالج: نصلح. خصًا: هو بيت يعمل من خشب وقصب ويُصلح بالطين، سمي به لما فيه من الخِصاص وهي الفُرج والأثقاب. وهي: ضعف وهم بالسقوط. ما أرى: أي ما أعلم. الأمر: أي الأجل. إلا أعجل: أي أسرع.
Nu'aliju: we are mending. Khassan: a dwelling made of wood and reeds and repaired with clay; it is so named because of the khisas it contains, namely the gaps and openings. Wahiya: it has become weak and on the verge of collapse. Ma ara: meaning I do not regard. Al-amr: meaning the appointed term (of life). Illa a'jala: meaning swifter.
الدروس · lessons
على الإنسان أن يضع الموت نصب عينيه، وأن يعتقد أنه أقرب شيء إليه. على الإنسان ألا ينشغل من الدنيا بما يشغله عن الآخرة وينسيه مصيره المحتوم وليس المقصود إهمال الدنيا، وإنما المذموم جعل الدنيا هي الغاية والهم الأكبر.
A person should keep death before his eyes and believe that it is the closest thing to him. A person should not occupy himself with anything of this world that distracts him from the Hereafter and makes him forget his inevitable destiny; the point is not to neglect the world altogether, but rather what is blameworthy is making this world one's ultimate goal and greatest concern.