Question: I am enquiring about the meaning of the supplication of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him): “O Allah, make me live as a miskin, make me die as a miskin, and resurrect me among the masakin,” does this refer to humility and lowliness before Allah, or does miskin mean poverty, which is the opposite of wealth, encompassing straitened circumstances and a difficult life?
Answer: All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, and upon his family and companions.
Regarding this, it is stated in Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi: “(O Allah, make me live as a miskin) It is said that it is derived from masakanah, which means humility and destitution. The Prophet (peace be upon him) intended by this to show his humility and his need for his Lord, guiding his Ummah to feel humility and to guard against arrogance and pride. He also intended by this to draw attention to the high ranks of the masakin and their closeness to Allah Almighty, as mentioned by Al-Teebi, may Allah have mercy on him. (And resurrect me among the masakin) means gather me in their group, in the sense of making me one of them, but he did not ask for masakanah referring to destitution; rather, to submission, humility, and reverence.”
Some might think that he (peace be upon him) intended by his supplication the masakanah which means poverty. This might be supported by the addition in At-Tirmidhi of Aishah’s saying: “Why, O Messenger of Allah?” He said: “Because they will enter Paradise forty autumns before their rich ones.” And also by what Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih: Abu Abd ar-Rahman said: “Three men came to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-Aas, and I was with him, and they said: ‘O Abu Muhammad; by Allah, we have nothing – no expenses, no riding animal, no provisions.’ He said to them: ‘Whatever you wish, if you wish, return to us and we will give you what Allah makes easy for you, and if you wish, we will mention your matter to the ruler, and if you wish, you may be patient, for I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say: ‘Indeed, the poor among the Muhajirun will precede the rich on the Day of Resurrection into Paradise by forty autumns.’ They said: ‘Then we will be patient and ask for nothing.'”
However, this is contradicted by what Al-Nasa’i and others narrated from Abu Hurayrah: that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to say: “O Allah, I seek refuge in You from poverty, and I seek refuge in You from scarcity and humiliation…” And it is contradicted by what Muslim narrated of his (peace be upon him) supplication: “Relieve us of debt, and make us self-sufficient from poverty.”
Therefore, the masakanah in his (peace be upon him) supplication means—as Al-Mubarakpuri stated—”humility and destitution before Allah, guiding his Ummah to feel humility and to guard against arrogance and pride.”
And Allah knows best.
Source From Islamweb.net #103510
(Translated by Mohammed bin Thajammul Hussain Manna.)
Saheehus-Seerah 