CHAPTER 3: THE DESTITUTE : PART 6
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered that the poor be given, even if it is something small:
The one asking has a right, as Allah Says (what means): «And from their properties was [given] the right of the [needy] petitioner and the deprived.» [Quran: 51:19]
Allah also Says (what means): «And those within whose wealth is a known right, for the petitioner and the deprived.» [Quran: 70: 24-25]
As-Si`di (a scholar) said: “‘And from their properties was [given] the right.’ both obligatory and recommended. ‘For the petitioner and the deprived,’ meaning, for those who are needy that also ask from people, as well as those who do not ask.” (Tafseer As-Si`di (1/808).)
That is why the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, urged that people give, even if it is something slight. `Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Bujayd (a scholar) narrated from his grandmother, Umm Bujayd )she was one of the women who gave allegiance to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam,) that she said: “O Messenger of Allah, a poor person comes to my door, but I do not find anything to give him.” So the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “If you only have a burnt hoof to
give him, then give it to him in his hand.” (Reported by Abu Dawood (1667), At-Tirmidhi (665) and An-Nasa’i (2574).)
The reason that the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “[A] burnt hoof,” is to emphasise the importance of giving the needy anything possible, meaning, do not allow him to leave without anything, and give him anything possible, even if you find something belittled like a burnt hoof, give it to him. (Tuhfat Al-Ahwathi (3/268).)
In a narration from `Amr ibn Mu’adh Al-Ansaari (a scholar) who said that a beggar came to their door, so his grandmother, Hawwaa’, said to him, “Feed him dates.” They said: “We do not have any.” She said: “Give him Saweeq (wheat and barley soup).” They said: “You are so strange; as if we can feed him what we do not possess.” She said: “I heard Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say: ‘To not turn the one asking back, even if the only thing you give him is a burnt hoof.’” (Reported by Ahmad (26607).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, strove to get the righteous and good among them married:
Abu Barzah Al-Aslami (a Companion) said:
“If one of the Ansaar had a widowed woman, he would not marry her off until he ascertained as to whether or not the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wanted to marry her.” So the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to one of the Ansaar men: ‘Marry your daughter for me.’ So the man said: ‘What a great honour this is, O Messenger of Allah; that is the comfort of my eyes.” The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, responded: ‘I do not want her for myself.’ He said: ‘Then for whom, O Messenger of Allah?’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘For Julaybeeb.’ The man said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, allow me to seek her mother’s counsel.’
So the man went to the girl’s mother, and said: ‘The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, has asked for the hand of your daughter.’ She said: ‘What a great blessing that is; that is the comfort of my eyes.’ He said: ‘He has not asked for her hand for himself, but for Julaybeeb.’ She said: ‘Is Julaybeeb his son! Is Julaybeeb his son! Is Julaybeeb his son! No, by Allah, you will not marry her off.’
When the man wanted to stand to go to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in order to tell him what the girl’s mother said: the girl said: ‘Who asked you for my hand?’ Her mother told her, and she said: ‘Do you reject the order of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam? Send me for marriage, because the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, will never put me to loss.’
Her father went to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and told him, and he said: ‘What you desire for her will happen.’ So he married her to Julaybeeb.
Then the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went out to battle, and Julaybeeb was with him, and when Allah gave him war booty, he said to the Companions: ‘Do you find anyone missing?’ They said: ‘So-and-so is missing, and so-and-so is missing.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Look if you are missing anyone else.’ They said: ‘No, we are not missing anyone else.’ He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘However, I am missing Julaybeeb; go search for him among those killed in battle.’ They searched for him, and found him dead beside seven men. They said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, here he is, dead beside seven men that he killed, and then they killed him.’ So the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, went to him and said: ‘He killed seven men, and they killed him; this one is from me, and I am from him; this one is from me, and I am from him.’ He said that two or three times.”
Then the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, carried him on his forearms, and a grave was dug for him. He had no deathbed or anything to carry him besides the two forearms of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then he was placed in the grave. It was not mentioned that he was prayed on.”
Is-Haaq ibn `Abdullaah ibn Abu Talhah (a Companion) informed Thaabit (another Companion), saying, “Do you know the supplication that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, supplicated for that girl (who married Julaybeeb)? He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘O Allah, pour goodness on her, and do not make her life tiring.’”
Thaabit said: “There was no widow in Madinah wealthier than she was.” (Reported by Ahmad (19285). The beginning of the story of the battle was reported by Muslim (2472).)
He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, married a poor man to a woman who gave herself to him in marriage without a dowry:
Sahl ibn Sa’d reported that a woman went to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have come to give myself to you in marriage.” The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, looked at her, and then looked down. When the woman saw that he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not decide anything, she sat down. One of his Companions stood and said: “O Messenger of Allah, if you have no need or desire for her, then marry her to me.” So the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Do you have anything [to give her as dowry]?” He said: “No, O Messenger of Allah.” So he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Go to your family and see if you have anything.” The man went, and came back and said: “No, O Messenger of Allah, I did not find anything.” The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “See if you can find anything, even if it is a metal ring.”
So the man went, and came back, and said: “No O Messenger of Allah, not even a metal ring, but this is my Izaar (lower garment).” Sahl said: “He did not have a cloak (due to poverty), so she would take half of his Izaar (a lower sheet they used to tie on their waist).” The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “What will she do with your Izaar, if you wear it, she will not be able to use it, and if she wears it, you do not have anything else to wear.”
Then the man sat down for a long time, then stood and the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, saw him leaving, then ordered that he brought be back, whereon he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “How much of the Quran do you know?” The man said: “I know such and such Chapter, and such and such Chapter and such and such Chapter.” Then he counted the ones he knew.
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Can you read them from your memory?” The man said: “Yes, I can.” So the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Go, for I have married this woman to you for that which you know from the Quran.”(Reported by Al-Bukhari (5030) and Muslim (1425).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, urged them to pool their resources and share them:
Abu Moosa Al-Ash`ari (a Companion) said: “The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘If the Ash`ari tribe have no food during wartime, or their food becomes little for their families in Madinah, they collect whatever they have in one garment, then they split it among them equally, by using a bowl. Indeed, they are from me, and I am from them.’” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (2486) and Muslim (2500).)
An-Nawawi said: “This narration shows the virtue of giving precedence to others and consoling others.” (The explanation of An-Nawawi on the book of Muslim (16/62).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, guided them to actions that help them overcome poverty, like keeping the ties of kinship:
Anas ibn Maalik said: “I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, say: ‘Whoever wants to have his wealth spread for him, and for his life extended [blessed], then let them keep the ties of their kinship.’” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (2067) and Muslim (2557).)
The Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not fear poverty for his Nation as much as he feared that they would compete for the worldly life:
`Amr ibn `Awf (a Companion) reported that the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, sent Abu `Ubaydah ibn Al-Jarrah (another Companion) to Bahrain in order to bring the protection money from there.
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had a peace treaty with the people of Bahrain, and ordered that Al-`Alaa’ ibn Al-Hadhrami (a Companion) be the ruler over it.
When Abu `Ubaydah came with money from Bahrain, the Ansaar heard about his coming, and gathered for the dawn prayer with the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. When he left, they went to the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and he smiled when he saw them, saying: “I think you heard that Abu `Ubaydah has come with something.” They said: “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.” He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Then receive glad tidings, and hope for that which pleases you, for by Allah I do not fear for poverty for you, but I fear that the worldly life becomes laid out for you just as it was laid out for those before you, causing them to strive and compete for it as they did, and I fear that you do the same, causing you to be destroyed as they were destroyed.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari (4015) and Muslim (2961).)
Conclusion:
When reading about the dealings of the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, with the poor, we see how he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would supplicate to Allah to make them rich from His Bounty, and to make their affairs easy. At other times, he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would urge them to be patient and console them, as well as remind them that this worldly life is passing away, and that the Hereafter is what truly
remains. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would remind them of the virtue of hunger, and the virtue of being patient in the face of poverty for those who are afflicted with it. He would guide them to ways to work and earn money, like in his saying: “By Him in Whose hand is my soul, it is better for one of you to take firewood on his back and sell it than to go to a man and ask for money, and he might give him or not.”(Reported by Al-Bukhari (1470) and Muslim (1042).)
It should not be perceived that because the Prophet of Allah, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, gave in charity and encouraged his Companions to do so as well, meant that he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would accept that the poor continue to ask for help for the rest of their lives. On the contrary, he was keen on teaching the poor the importance of working to fulfil one’s own needs. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wanted them to avoid the disgrace of asking and begging and enjoy the sweetness of giving. The Prophet’s mercy upon the poor was for their own good and welfare and to help them attain true happiness. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not only aim to feed them temporarily, but also to teach them, raise their spirits, and broaden their minds. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, wanted their welfare in this worldly life and in the Hereafter as his approach was truly balanced and comprehensive.
By Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid
Comments
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.
John Doe
23/3/2019Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.