An Outline of Early Islamic History — Page 83
83 the law. For the poor and the needy he had always a soft corner in his heart. Once one Ibad bin Sharjil plucked fruit from a garden. It was a time of famine. The owner caught hold of him, beat him up and took off his cloak from him. When both were brought before the Prophet, he said to the gardener, “This man was ignorant. You should have taught him about good behaviour. He was hungry. You should have fed him. . ” Then he got back the man’s cloak and gave the gardener a quantity of cereal in recompense. The Prophet had no leniency for the rich criminal. Once a woman of a powerful tribe stole something. The Prophet decided to punish her under the law. Sine she came of a noble family, he was requested to let her go. He was very angry and said, “The Israel ites were ruined because they would punish the poor offender and let off the rich. ” The Prophet had great regard for the man who would earn his own living. He once said if a man carries load of wood on his back to the market to sell and thus save his honour, it is better for him to do so than to beg. The Prophet never for once believed that he was superior to others. In war and in peace, every time he was a comrade and an equal. There was no special seat for him to sit. He sat among his companions as one of them. A stranger would not know who the chief of the group was. Once during a journey, the companions divided among themselves their duties. The Prophet undertook