Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban Jai'an»

Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban Jai'an» (The Explanation of the Hadith "Two Hungry Wolves") is a treatise by the Hanbali traditionist and jurist Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (d. 795 AH / 1393 CE), dedicated to the spiritual and ethical exposition of a single prophetic report warning against the ruinous pursuit of wealth and prestige Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1. Also known under titles such as Dhamm al-Mal wa-al-Jah or Dhamm al-Jah wa-al-Mal (The Censure of Wealth and Status), the work is classified among Ibn Rajab's specialized monographic commentaries on individual hadiths Majmu Rasail Ibn Rajab+1.

Subject and Structure

The treatise revolves around the hadith narrated on the authority of Ka'b ibn Malik, recorded in collections such as Musnad Ahmad, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Nasa'i, and Sahih Ibn Hibban, in which the Prophet ﷺ stated: «مَا ذِئْبَانِ جَائِعَانِ أُرْسِلَا فِي غَنَمٍ بِأَفْسَدَ لَهَا مِنْ حِرْصِ المَرْءِ عَلَى المَالِ وَالشَّرَفِ لِدِينِهِ» ("Two hungry wolves let loose among sheep are not more destructive to them than a person's craving for wealth and status is to his religion") Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …. Ibn Rajab notes that the hadith was also transmitted through several other Companions—including Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Abu Hurayrah, Usamah ibn Zayd, Jabir ibn Abd Allah, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, and Asim ibn Adi—and mentions having discussed its transmission lines in full in his larger commentary on Sunan al-Tirmidhi Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban ….

Ibn Rajab organizes his textual commentary by dissecting the metaphor of the two destructive forces mentioned in the hadith:

• Craving for Wealth (al-Hirs 'ala al-Mal): Ibn Rajab divides this into two categories Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1:

  1. Striving excessively through lawful means: An intense love for wealth that leads an individual to exhaust their life, endure extreme toil, and risk perils for ephemeral gain, distracting the soul from preparing for the hereafter Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1.
  2. Acquiring wealth through unlawful avenues: Transgressing bounds to obtain forbidden wealth and withholding obligatory rights, which constitutes reprehensible avarice (shuhh) that severely diminishes faith Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1.

• Craving for Status and Prestige (al-Hirs 'ala al-Sharaf): Ibn Rajab argues that this is even more destructive to religion than the love of wealth, categorizing it into two types Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1:

  1. Seeking worldly leadership and authority: Pursuing governance, executive offices (wilayah), and social preeminence, which frequently engenders injustice, arrogance, and the compromising of religious integrity Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1. Here, the author quotes at length from Abu Bakr al-Ajurri's Akhlaq al-Ulama' regarding the corrupting influence of seeking closeness to rulers and judicial positions Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1.
  2. Seeking status through religious avenues: Using sacred knowledge, acts of worship, or outward asceticism (zuhd) to attain preeminence and praise among people Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+1. Ibn Rajab condemns this as the most perilous form of corruption, as it turns acts intended purely for the divine into tools for worldly vanity and subtle ostentation Durus lil-Shaykh Ibrahim …+1.

Method and Content

Ibn Rajab integrates Quranic verses, prophetic traditions, poetry, and anecdotes from the early generations (al-salaf) and early ascetics—such as Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, Abd al-Wahid ibn Zayd, and Sufyan al-Thawri—to support his spiritual counsel Sharh Hadith «Ma Dhi'ban …+2. The work focuses on heart-softening exhortation (al-raqa'iq), self-examination, and the hazards of subtle spiritual defects Durus lil-Shaykh Ibrahim …+1.

Transmission and Editions

The treatise has been preserved across multiple manuscript collections, including copies in Dar al-Kutub al-Misriyyah, the library of King Saud University, and the Süleymaniye Library (Fatih collection) in Istanbul Majmu Rasail Ibn Rajab+1. It was published in Lahore in 1320 AH and in Cairo in 1346 AH Lataif al-Maarif fima li …. Later critical editions include one edited by Badr al-Badr (Kuwait, 1401 AH) and its inclusion within collected volumes of Ibn Rajab's treatises Majmu Rasail Ibn Rajab+1.