In Islam, the criterion of
assessing the temperament of this religion's embracer lies in the
extent of his sympathetic spirit with Muhammad's cause of Islam
and his pure progeny (P.B.U.T.)
Allah, the Almighty, asserts this
fact in His holy Quran saying: " Indeed, in the Messenger of
Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in the
Meeting with) Allah and the last Day, and remembers Allah
much."(Al-Ahzab:21).
Despite the multitude of attempts
which intentionally aimed at targeting the very person of the
Prophet via a number of misdeeds and accusations emitted by those
who cherish hostility against this religion but the clear-cut
declarations of our noble Quran has paid much tribute to his mood
and good manners by saying:
"And verily, you O Muhammad! You
are on an exalted (standard of) character." (Al-Qalam:4) in
addition to the great number of the verses through which the
Prophet manners was highly praised; besides, a great bulk of
stories and narratives which talk about attitudes which reflect
the extent of his lofty demeanor.
The Prophetic
Frugality
This topic touches upon revealing
the Prophet's frugality of Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) with regard to his
food, drink and clothes, his house location, his belongings of
luggage and domestic needs. His foodstuff was composed of barely
bread which he even ate very little of it according to what Imam
Al-Sadiq (P.B.U.H.) has narrated – for he has been the sixth Imam
of the Shia sect – that the Messenger of Allah hasn't eaten bread
made from wheat at all."
One of his wives also narrated
saying: "By the ONE who sent Muhammad as Messenger by truth, I
swear that we haven't got a sieve at home nor did he eat bread
refined under a sieve since he was commissioned by Allah until
his spirit has flown up unto Him.
She also narrated about his
garments saying: "Nothing did he take of one article- by taking
two items of the same article; that is: No pair of shirts; no
pair of garments and no pair of shawls and no two pairs of
slippers, and he is very often seen wearing a mended second hand
garment.
His trustee and cousin, Ali bin
Abi Talib also gave us some details about the frugality of
Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) who described him by saying: "The bedsheet of
Allah's Messenger was his own "Aba" (mantle) and his pillow was a
piece of linen usually filled with fibers on which he used to sit
at times.
He also owned a velvety garment
made in Fadak which he used to wear to look more submissive in
worshipping and he also got another less velvety Egyptian garment
as well.
He also got a rug made from
goatskin which he also used to sit on, too. Such his frugality
has been and to an extent that he even didn't save money for his
tomorrow nor even of the other items which he urgently needs for
his daily domestic affairs. His servant, Anas bin Malik
says: " Allah's Messenger saved nothing for
tomorrow.
Bearing all this in mind, his
frugality manifests itself to a greater extent when we get to
know that Muhammad died all of a sudden and his shield was
mortgaged to a Jewish figure in return for thirty scales of
barley.
Sun -
22 Jamadilawal 1446H -
