Life of Muhammad — Page 221
sa 221 were opposed to him. On one occasion a Jew came to him and complained that Ab u Bakr ra had hurt his feelings by saying that God had exalted Muhammad sa above Moses as. The Prophet sa summoned Ab u Bakr ra and asked him what had transpired. Ab u Bakr ra explained that the Jew had started by saying that he swore by Moses as whom God, he said, had exalted above the whole of mankind, and that he (Ab u Bakr ra ) had thereupon retorted by swearing by Muhammad sa , whom God had exalted above Moses as. The Prophet sa said: "You should not have said this as the feelings of other people should be respected. Nobody should exalt me above Moses as " ( Bukh a r i , Kit a but Tau hi d ). This did not mean that the Holy Prophet sa did not in fact occupy a higher position than Moses as but that an affirmation like this addressed to a Jew was likely to hurt his feelings and should have been avoided. REGARD FOR THE POOR The Holy Prophet sa was ever concerned to ameliorate the condition of the poorer sections of the community and to raise their status in society. On one occasion while he was sitting with his Companions ra , a rich man happened to pass by. The Prophet sa inquired of one of his Companions ra what he thought of him. He replied "He is a well-to-do and well-connected man. If he were to ask for the hand of a girl in marriage the request would be favourably considered and if he were to intercede on behalf of anybody the intercession would be accepted. " Shortly after, another man passed by who appeared to be poor and of no substance. The Prophet sa inquired of the same Companion ra what he thought of him. He replied: "O Messenger of Allah sa ! He is a poor man. If he were to request the hand of a girl in marriage the request would not be favourably received and if he were to intercede on behalf of any person the intercession would be rejected and if he were to seek to engage