The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page ccxci
GENERAL INTRODUCTION While, however, the Prophet insisted that poor people should be respected and their feelings should not be injured and strove to fulfil their needs, he also sought to instil the sentiment of self-respect into them and taught them not to beg for favours. He used to say that it behoved a poor man not to seek to be content with a date or two or with a mouthful or two of food but to restrain himself from making a request, however severely he might be tried (Bukhārī, Kitābul-Kusuf). On the other hand he used to say that no entertainment would be blessed unless some poor people were also invited to it. ‘Ā'ishah relates that a poor woman came to visit her on one occasion accompanied by her two little daughters. ‘Ā'ishah had nothing with her at the time except one date which she gave to the woman. The woman divided it between her little daughters and then they all departed. When the Prophet came home ‘Ā’ishah related this to him and he said: "If a poor man has daughters and he treats them with consideration, God will save him from the torments of Hell," and added: "God will bestow Paradise upon this woman on account of the consideration she showed towards her daughters" (Muslim). On one occasion he was told that one of his Companions, Sa'd, who was a well-to-do person, was boasting of his enterprise to others. When the Prophet heard this, he said: "Let no man imagine that his wealth or standing or power is the result merely of his own efforts or enterprise. That is not so. Your power and your position and your wealth are all earned through the poor. " One of his prayers was: "O God! Keep me humble while I am alive and keep me humble when I die and let my resurrection on the Day of Judgement be with the humble" (Tirmidhi, Abwäbuz-Zuhud). On one occasion during the hot weather when he was passing through a street, he observed a very poor Muslim carrying heavy loads from one place to another. He was very plain of features which were rendered still more unattractive by a heavy coating of perspiration and dust. He bore a melancholy look. The Holy Prophet approached him stealthily from the back and, as children sometimes do in fun, he put forward his hands and covered the labourer's eyes with them, expecting him to guess who he was. The man put back his own hands and feeling over the body of the Prophet realized that it was the Holy Prophet himself. He probably guessed also that nobody else would show such intimate affection for a man in his condition. Being pleased and encouraged, he pressed against the Holy Prophet's body and clasped him to himself rubbing his dust and sweat-covered body against the clothes of the Prophet, desiring perhaps to ascertain how far the Prophet would be willing to indulge him with what he was doing. The Prophet went on smiling and did not ask him to stop. When the man had been put in a thoroughly happy mood the Prophet said to him: "I possess a slave; do you think anybody will be willing to buy him?" The man realized that probably there was nobody in the whole cclxv