The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 147
IV - Early Life 147 Holy Prophet sa and the Prophet sa said, “I am more acquainted with him than you,” at which Sā’ib responded, “Indeed, O Holy Prophet sa , may my father and mother be an offering! You were once my partner in business and you were moral and pure in all your dealings. ” 1 ‘ Abdullāh bin Abil-Ḥamsā’ was another companion who narrates: ‘Prior to the commencement of the divine mission of the Prophet sa , I dealt with him in a business transaction after which I owed the Prophet sa his remaining dues. I told the Prophet sa to wait there while I return shortly. However, I forgot and remembered after three days. When I returned to the meeting place, the Prophet sa was still there. The Prophet sa said nothing more to me than, ‘You have subjected me to an inconvenience as I have been waiting upon you for the past three days. ’ Apparently, the intent of this narration is not to imply that Muḥammad sa waited in the same place for three days continuously. Instead its meaning is that Muḥammad sa would return to the same place repeatedly and would wait for many hours whilst expecting the return of ‘ Abdullāh so that his business partner would not be put under any burden as a result of his absence. 2 It is due to such occurrences that Muḥammad sa became renowned as Amīn 3 among the Makkans. Moreover, as a result of his honesty, he was greatly revered in Makkah and was known as an exceptionally righteous individual who always spoke the truth. 4 The involvement of Muḥammad sa in business commenced when he was approximately 25 years of age. Khadījah bint Khuwailid of the clan Banū Asad was an exceedingly noble and wealthy lady who possessed a significant market share in the trade and commerce of Makkah. She sent Muḥammad sa to Syria with her commercial goods and provided the services of her slave, Maysarah who accompanied Muḥammad sa during travel. Due to the diligence, blessings and honesty of Muḥammad sa , God the Almighty blessed this trade venture extraordinarily and much profit was generated. Hence, he returned home from his mission with great success. In the same manner, Muḥammad sa undertook 1 Sunan Abī Dāwūd, Kitābul-Adab, Bābu fī Karāhiyyatil-Mirā’, Ḥadīth No. 4836 2 Sunan Abū Dāwūd, Kitābul-Adab, Bābu Fil-‘Iddah, Ḥadīth No. 4996 3 The Trustworthy (Publishers) 4 As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 145, Bābu Qiṣṣati Baḥīrā, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)