Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 38

Chapter Three 38 on these journeys, including the people of Makkah, were united in his praise. An incident later in Muḥammad’s life illustrates his reputation as a trader. When As-Sā’ib accepted Islam, a few people praised As-Sā’ib in the presence of Muḥammad sa. Muḥammad sa agreed and said, “I know him better than you. ” As-Sā’ib said, “Yes, Messenger of Allah. May my parents be sacrificed for you! You had business dealings with me, and you always conducted business with great honesty. ” 1 ‘Abdullāh bin Abī Al-Hamsā’ describes: I dealt with him in a business transaction after which I owed the Prophet sa his remaining dues. I told the Prophet sa to wait at a certain place while I return shortly. However, I forgot and remembered after three days. When I returned to the meeting place, the Prophet sa was still there. The Prophet sa said nothing more to me than, ‘You have subjected me to an inconvenience as I have been waiting upon you for the past three days. ’ Muḥammad sa , probably returned to the same place repeatedly and waited for many hours expecting the return of ‘Abdullāh to ensure his business partner would not be put under any duress as a result of his absence. Once he stepped into the business world, his honesty, trustworthiness, straight talk, and truthfulness were so widely recognized that he came to be known by the name of Amīn (the Trustworthy). Marriage with Khadījah ra Khadījah ra bint Khuwailid was a noble and wealthy lady of Makkah; she earned the title Ṭāhirah (the Pure) because of her noble character. After she became a widow, many chieftains sent her proposals but she rejected them all. Having learned about Muḥammad’s honesty, trustworthiness, and other excellent 1 Sunan Abī Dāwūd.