Greed Destroyed Those Who Came Before You
It is reported in Sunan Abee Daawood from 'Abdullaah ibn 'Amr, radiyallaahu 'anhu, from the Prophet (ï·º) that he said, "Beware of greed (avarice) for indeed greed (avarice) destroyed those who came before you. It ordered them to cut off ties of relationship so they cut off ties of relationship, and it ordered them to be miserly so they were miserly, and it ordered them to commit sins so they committed sins."
[Reported by Aboo Daawood (transl. vol. 2, p. 445, no. 1694), and al-Haakim (1/415) who declared it saheeh and adh-Dhahabee agreed, and Ahmad reports it (2/159, 195) with similar wording. I say: its isnaad is saheeh. | Book: The Evil Of Craving For Wealth And Status, p. 15 | By al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbalee (d. 795H) rahimahullah | Translated by Aboo Talhah Daawood Ibn Ronald Burbank | Al-Hidaayah Publishing & Distribution]