Sunan At-Tirmidhī Ḥadīth [2323]

Book [36]: Chapters on Zuhd [Asceticism]
Chapter [15]: The Ḥadīth: “The world compared to the hereafter is but like what one of you gets when placing his finger into the sea”

Ḥadīth [2323]: Qa’is bin Abī Ḥāzim said: I heard Mustawrid, a member of Banū Fihr, saying: The Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The world compared to the Hereafter is but like what one of you gets when placing his finger into the sea, so look at what you draw from it.”

Commentary: The Ḥadīth is in fact intended to convey the idea that the world, when compared to the Hereafter, is as insignificant as is the drop of water sticking to a man’s finger in comparison with the sea. The parable has just been coined to deliver a message. Otherwise in reality, the world does not weigh even as much as we…