Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 147
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 147 after the lapse of the prescribed period of waiting. Abdul Rahman expressed his gratitude to S’ad and blessed him and told him that he was not in need of any of his property and all that he required was that S’ad might show him the way to the market place. He started in business in a small way and soon became a person of substance and ultimately became very wealthy. A short while after his arrival in Medina he married a young woman of Ansar, and when he told the Holy Prophet of his wedding he was asked what dower he had paid her. Abdul Rahman replied that he had paid his bride her dower in gold equal to a date stone, on which the Holy Prophet observed, ‘You must arrange your wedding feast, even if it is limited to the meat of one goat. ’ This was an indicatio n that already Abdul Rahman was able to afford a wedding feast on that modest scale. In this system of brotherhood, it was also provided that on the death of an Ansari brother, his Emigrant brother would be entitled to a part of his inheritance. This system of brotherhood continued over a couple of years, till it was abrogated under divine direction. This was a unique device, which proved of great beneficence, over a crucial period, for the small but daily growing community of Muslims in Medina. Emigrants were not only provided with economic aid under it, but were consoled and comforted to a large degr ee in the strange and helpless condition in which they found themselves on arrival in Medina. They began to feel at home and a strong sentimental bond was forged between them and their brethren in Medina which welded them into one united community.