Forty Gems of Beauty — Page 148
148 blessings of Allah be on him) had commanded to be kept up. Hadrat ‘Al i (May Allah be pleased with him), a cousin of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and also his son-in-law and fourth Khalifah of Islam after the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him), came from a highly respectable family of the Quraish tribe. After migration to Medina, he would take an axe, go to the jungle, cut firewood and sell it in the market to make a living but would not ask help of anybody. Hadrat Ab u Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) a well-known companion of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had to go without food, many times for days, but would never beg of anybody. Once when he was prostrate with hunger, he asked Hadrat Ab u Bakr (May Allah be pleased with him) and later also Hadrat ‘ Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) the meaning of a Quranic verse which related to the command about feeding the hungry. But both Hadrat Ab u Bakr and Hadrat ‘ Umar (May Allah be pleased with them) did not catch his hint and after explaining its usual meaning, went away. By chance, the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) happened to hear this conversation. He called Ab u Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) very affectionately, said that it seemed he was hungry and asked him to come over to him. Then he gave him some milk to drink. There is yet another incident of a still superior type; it relates to another prominent companion whose whip fell down while he was going on horseback. There went along with him some persons on foot. He did not request anyone for help but dismounting, he picked up the whip. When a companion asked him why he did not tell them to hand it back to him, adding that they could have readily obliged him, he replied back that the Prophet of Allah (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade them to seek charity and that if he had asked them to pick up his whip for him, it would have been very near to begging.