The Albaani Site

“I seek refuge with you from an evil neighbour and from a wife
who causes me to grow old before old age …”

اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوْذُ بِكَ مِنْ جَارِ السُّوءِ، وَمِنْ زَوْجٍ تُشَيِّبُنِي قَبْلَ الْمَشِيْبِ، وَمِنْ وَلَدٍ يَكُوْنُ عَلَيَّ رَبّاً، وَمِنْ مَالٍ يَكُوْنُ عَلَيَّ عَذَاباً، وَمِنْ خَلِيْلٍ مَاكِرٍ عَيْنُهُ تَرَانِي، وَقَلْبُهُ يَرْعَانِي؛ إِنْ رَأَى حَسَنَةً دَفَنَهَا، وَإِذَا رَأَى سَيِّئَةً أَذَاعَهَا

From Abu Hurairah, may Allaah be pleased with him, who said, “From his, صلى الله عليه وسلم, supplications was: “O Allaah!  I seek refuge with you from an evil neighbour; and from a wife who causes me to grow old before old age; and from a son who will become a master over me; and from wealth which will become a punishment for me; and from a cunning friend whose gaze is upon me and whose heart is plotting and planning against me such that if he sees something good he buries it, and if he sees something bad he spreads it.” [1]

Silsilah, no. 3137.

[1]  Transl. note: Shaikh al-Munaawi said in Faid al-Qadeer the Explanation of al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer, “‘… a cunning friend …’ i.e., someone who shows love and good will but in reality is deceitful and deceptive; ‘… his gaze is upon me …’ i.e., he looks at me the way a close friend looks at a close friend but out of deceit and with [mere] flattery; ‘… his heart is plotting and planning …’ i.e., is on the look out to harm me, constantly watchful; if he hears of a good deed I have done, ‘… he buries it …’ i.e., hides and covers it just as a dead person is buried, and, ‘… if he sees something bad …’ i.e., he comes to know of a sin I may have fallen into, ‘… he spreads it …’ i.e., circulates it and makes it known among the people.”