[4]. Muhammad, the Messenger of God ﷺ passed through the marketplace, and people were on either side of him. He passed by a dead goat with small ears, and he took hold of it by its ear and said: “Who among you would like to have this for a dirham?” They said, “We would not take it for anything; what would we do with it?”
He said, “Would you like to have it (even) for free?” They said, “By Allāh, even if it were alive, it would have a defect because its ears are small; and now it is dead.”
The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said:
“By Allāh, this world is more worthless in the sight of Allāh than this (dead goat) is to you.” This hadith illustrates the worthlessness of the worldly life when compared to the Hereafter. Just as no one desires a dead, decaying goat, Allāh does not value the material world in itself.
What truly matters is righteous action, faith, and seeking the pleasure of Allāh, not worldly wealth or status.