The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) – Volume III — Page 62
Seal of the Prophets - Volume III 62 very path which can save an individual’s mind from becoming redundant and dense. If not, the curse which capitalism has produced in the world today, will come before the world in another form later, by means of communism. Equal Division of Food in Exceptional Circumstances Despite this wise perspective on the division of wealth, whereby in normal circumstances the distribution of wealth has been arranged without following the course of compulsion, so that the incentive for individual struggle and effort is sustained and the wealth of the country is not accumulated into the hands of a few, Islām teaches that if special circumstances come about, in that the food supply of a country or nation or village fall short, i. e. , one section has a surplus of food, while the other section has less than even its basic needs, or none at all, in such emergencies, the compulsory system of the equal division of food can be instituted. As such, it is narrated that: ْ خَرَجْنَا مَع َ رَسُوْل ِ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ فِی ْ غَزْوَة ٍ فَاَصَابَنَا جَھْد ٌ حَتّٰی ھَمَمْنَا اَن نَنْحَر َ بَعْض َ ظَھْرِنَا فَاَمَر َ نَبِی ُّ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ فَجَمَعْنَا مَزَاوِدَنَا “We left for a Ghazwah with the Holy Prophet sa , but we were faced with a severe food shortage en-route, to the extent that we thought of slaughtering a few of our camels of conveyance. Upon this, the Holy Prophet sa ordered that all the stores of food be gathered. As such, we gathered all of our stores of food and the Holy Prophet sa began to distribute an equal ration to everyone. ” 1 Then, there is another narration: َ بَعَث َ رَسُوْل ُ اللّٰه ِ صَلَّی اللّٰه ُ عَلَیْه ِ وَسَلَّم َ بَعْثًا قِبَل َ السَّاحِل ِ وَاَمَّر َ عَلَیْھِم ْ اَبَا عُبَیْدَة َ بْن ِ الْجَرَّاح ِ وَھُم ْ ثَلَاث ُ مِائَة ٍ فَخَرَجْنَا وَكُنَّا بِبَعْض ِ الطَّرِیْق ِ فَنِی َ الزَّاد ُ فَاَمَر َ اَبُو ْ عُبَیْدَة َ بِاَزْوَاد ْ الْجَیْش ِ فَجُمِع َ فَكَان َ مِزْوَدَی ْ تَمْر ٍ فَكَان َ یَقُوْتُنَا كُل َّ یَوْم ٍ قَلِیْل ٌ قَلِیْل ٌ حَتّٰی فَنِی َ فَلَم ْ یَكُن ٌ یُصِیْبُنَا اِلَّا تَمْرَة ٌ تَمْرَة 1 Ṣaḥīḥu Muslim, Kitābul-Maghāzī, Bābu Istiḥbābi Khaltil-Azwādi Idhā Qallat, Ḥadīth No. 4518