All praise is due to Allah The Exalted, and may Allah raise the rank of our beloved Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, his kind relatives and companions, and protect his nation from that which he feared for them thereafter;
“Shall I not direct you to what is more beneficial for you than having a servant?”
The meaning of the Hadith: “Shall I not direct you to what is more beneficial for you than having a servant?”
قال الله تعالى : [وَالآَخِرَةُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى] الأعلى
Ayah 17 Surat Al-A^la means: {The Hereafter is more beneficial and everlasting}.
There is no doubt and no question about the rewards in the hereafter being magnificent and everlasting.
This means that the pleasures of Paradise are superior in quality and quantity and longer lasting than the pleasures of this world. Also undoubted is the fact that the one who is clever and intelligent will discipline one’s self and work towards gaining the pleasures of life after death, applying the traditions of goodness urged by the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him.
فعَنْ سيدنا عَلِيٍّ رضي الله عنه أَنَّ السيدة فَاطِمَةَ رضي الله عنها شَكَتْ مَا تَلْقَى مِنْ أثر الرَّحَى فِي يَدِهَا ( ففي الماضي كانوا يطحنون ويعجنون في البيوت ليس كاليوم ) فَأَتَتْ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَسْأَلُهُ خَادِمًا فَلَمْ تَجِدْهُ فَذَكَرَتْ ذَلِكَ لِعَائِشَةَ رضي الله عنها فَلَمَّا جَاءَ أَخْبَرَتْهُ، قَالَ علي: فَجَاءَنَا وَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا مَضَاجِعَنَا فَذَهَبْتُ أَقُومُ فَقَالَ: “مَكَانَكَ” فَجَلَسَ بَيْنَنَا حَتَّى وَجَدْتُ بَرْدَ قَدَمَيْهِ عَلَى صَدْرِي فَقَالَ: ” أَلا أَدُلُّكُمَا عَلَى مَا هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمَا مِنْ خَادِمٍ ؟ ( أي جاريةٍ لأن لفظ الخادم يطلق على الذكر والانثى ) أَلا أَدُلُّكُمَا عَلَى مَا هُوَ خَيْرٌ لَكُمَا مِنْ خَادِمٍ ؟ إِذَا أَخَذْتُمَا مَضَاجِعَكُمَا فَسَبِّحَا ثَلاثًا وَثَلاثِينَ وَاحْمَدَا ثَلاثًا وَثَلاثِينَ وكَبِّرَا أربعا وَثَلاثِينَ فَهَو خَيْرٌ لَكُمَا مِنْ خَادِمٍ. رواه البخاري ومسلم والبيهقي.
It was related that our master ^Aliyy, may Allah reward him greatly said:
“Fatima complained about the unpleasant traces that making dough and kneading it had left on her hands, so she went to the Messenger of Allah [her father] asking him for permission to obtain a servant, but she did not find him home.
She mentioned her problem to Lady ^A’ishah (may Allah raise her rank) who then mentioned it to the Prophet when he returned home.
The Prophet then came to ^Aliyy’s house as Fatima and ^Aliyy were lay in bed. ^Aliyy wanted to get up off his bed, but the Prophet said to him: ‘Stay in your place’, then he sat between them and said: “Shall I not direct you to what is more beneficial for you than having a servant?”Every night you go to bed recite 33 times the phrase-‘Subhanallah’ (i.e. ‘Allah is Exalted and clear of imperfection’), 33 times – ‘Al-Hamdu lillah’ (i.e. ‘All praise is due to Allah) and 34 times – ‘Allahu Akbar’ (i.e. Allah is the Greatest). This will be more beneficial for you than having a servant. (Related by Al-Bukhariyy, Muslim and Al-Bayhaqiyy). The word servant in Arabic can refer to a female or a male servant, however, in this case it is referred to a female servant.
The hadith of the Prophet of Allah is undoubtedly in agreement with the Qur’an.