Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 174
! ! 174 Haz rat Abu Bakr ra , who replied, “I have brought everything and left the name of Allah and His Prophet sa in my home. ” Upon hearing this , Haz rat ‘Umar ra thought, “Even today, I could not compete with him. ” After all his planning, he was embarrassed that still he could not excel, whereas Hazrat Abu Bakr ra excelled without intending to do so. To Sacrifice Every D ay i s Impossible This was a one - time sacrifice which was done whole - heartedly, however i f this continued ceaselessly , meaning that e very day, they present ed the entirety of their wealth before the Holy Prophet sa , it would have been impossible and intolerable for even a person such as Haz rat Abu Bakr ra. H e would have been un able to fulf ill even the mandatory rights for his own self, his family, his neighbors, and his kinfolk. Therefore , although it cannot be done continually, one can sacrifice periodically. Shariah would not permit one to perform [such a sacrifice] continually. This is because his own life, as well as those of his wife and children depend on that wealth from which he provide s food, shelter, cl othing, and other necessities. Thus, if he continued to offer the whole of his wealth t o the Holy Prophet sa on a daily basis, it would not only have been un feasible , but would have given rise to unbearable difficulties. In the same way, a person can bear to sacrifice not only his wealth , but even his life for a friend when, f or instance, he sees his friend drowning. H e would jump into the water to save him , even if he is unable to swim. H e would willingly put his own life in danger , withou t considering the fact that he is no swimmer. Yet he would be unwilling to die a slow lingering death or offer himself up to suffer continuously. Therefore , one may be willing to bear temporary pain , but no one will accept unending suffering. A person might sacrifice his life for a friend within an hour ’ s notice , but it would be impossible to think that he could live the rest of his life in such a way as to place himself in the jaws of death. For example, if a person demands his beloved ’s life, that person would willingly give it up; however, if he takes a knife and begins to peel off the skin or begins to chop off his flesh bit by bit, he will not be prepared [to suffer in such a way ]. In the same way, a person may willingly jum p off a